Smithville Again Ranked Among Broadband's Best

August 6, 2012

News Release

Elletsville, Indiana – Smithville and its subsidiary Smithville Digital have been named a “Top 100 FTTP company” for an unprecedented fourth straight year. Smithville joins other top national firms like AT&T, Cisco Systems, DISH Network, Google, Tetra Tech, Verizon, and others in receiving the 2012 honor.

The designation, awarded by Broadband Communities magazine, is decided on the basis of whether a company is deploying fiber-based connectivity and networks that “are intended to transform local economies or improve communities quality of life,” or by “introducing innovative technologies that have game-changing potential,” and other outstanding performance factors, according Masha Zager, editor of the publication. A panel of editorial and technical experts in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment makes the final decisions.

“For the past four years, Smithville has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to state-of-the-art fiber deployment and a high-degree of performance in achieving that,” said Zager. “They have proven themselves to be a national leader in strategic fiber-based broadband, as evidenced by their performance and by their public comments in support of FTTH.”

Reflecting the national leadership position the company takes, Smithville Chairman and CEO Darby McCarty declared in the magazine: “Fiber-based broadband provides the critical strategic platform that energizes collaboration and allows for the free and rapid exchange of ideas.

“Such ideas fuel innovation, real change and growth,” she continued. “Government policy should therefore be focused on spurring fiber-based broadband deployment in each and every sector of American society. Barriers to such growth and deployment should be identified and lifted.”

Founded in the 1920s, privately owned Smithville is now Indiana’s largest independent telecom company, with 220 employees. Smithville remains strongly engaged in supplying FTTH services to more than 30,000 businesses and residences in the southern half of the state, now offering speeds up to one Gigabit (1 Gbps), some of the fastest connectivity available in Indiana. The $90 million FTTP (fiber-to-the-premise, including homes, businesses and education institutions/government in the Smithville service area) build-out is now over halfway completed, with the remainder scheduled to be finished in the second quarter of 2013. The company’s subsidiary, Smithville Digital, provides high-speed fiber-based connectivity, data consulting, network management and managed services for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, health care providers and government offices in southern and central Indiana.

“We have a great team at Smithville and Smithville Digital that is focused on providing high performance customer service with real innovation,” said Cullen McCarty, president of Smithville Digital. “It is a real honor to receive this national designation four years in a row, which reflects our team commitment and our solid history of performance.”

Smithville Digital has expanded fiber access to hospitals and statewide health care networks, utility and wireless companies, technology parks and technology incubators, financial institutions and industrial operations. The company is active in telemedicine and telehealth initiatives, particularly in rural areas. Smithville also provides videoconferencing solutions, including customized mobile videoconferencing carts and room systems, video call bridging, ISDN transcoding, and recording and streaming services, in addition to software and hardware.

The Top 100 FTTH awards were announced in the July issue of Broadband Communities magazine.

About Smithville Founded 90 years ago as the Monroe County Telephone Company, privately owned Smithville is now Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with more than 200 employees. Smithville is deploying Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) services, which at 1 Gbps provides the fastest connectivity available in Indiana, to more than 30,000 businesses and residences in southern Indiana. Its subsidiary Smithville Digital provides fiber-based connectivity, data consulting, network management and managed services for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers and government offices in southern and central Indiana. For more information, please visit www.smithville.net.