RT Fiber Optics project continues

Alexis Barker
NLJ Reporter
 
RT Communications began phase 4 of its fiber optics project in Newcastle the week of April 8. RT began installing fiber optic lines near Wood Street to the north of the railroad tracks, according to project engineer Levi Buck. The project has a 90-day contract with wrap-up scheduled for mid-September. 
“RT Communications will invest $1.8 million in 2019 to continue further build out of our Fiber-to-the-Home network in Newcastle,” states a March 18 release. “This network will replace the traditional copper-based infrastructure. Once the entire project is complete, over 1500 homes and businesses in Newcastle will have access to internet speeds up to 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps), which is 100 times faster than the average speed available in Wyoming.” 
“Beginning in April 2019, construction is scheduled to begin for the Phase 4 area, which is described as Wood Pon and Frontier Subdivision and will bring fiber to an additional 476 customers. At that time, RT Communications will be placing new “drops” or service lines to every home in the Phase 4 area. Customers will be cut over to the fiber network in the spring of 2020,” the release says.
Work began in the Wood Pon area last week, according to Buck, and after the work is completed in that area, the crews will move to the Frontier Subdivision near the Weston County Children’s Center. 
The preparation work for the project, which involved replacing current copper lines with a fiber optic network, began in 2017, with actual line replacement beginning in 2018 in Newcastle. 
Buck explained that the project involves boring in new conduit and fiber optic lines, all underground, using a bore machine for the underground construction to cause as little disruption as possible. 
“We will cause minimal disruption through this project, with a few alleys potentially being closed for a short period of time. Everyone will have been met with and coordinated with for any closures,” Buck said. “We are talking hourly closures, nothing for longer than a day.” 
Austin Triplett, engineering manager for the company, said that the company does not intend to close any roads during the project and that most work will be done in alleys. 
Last year, phase 3 of the local project was completed with fiber cutovers in the West Main Street area of Newcastle that will give over 377 customers access to the fiber network. Customers in Newcastle, according to the release, do not need to sign up to be included in the network and there is no cost to the customer for the upgrades. 
“Customers don’t have to do anything themselves. They will be contacted to schedule a technician to come to the home to change out equipment,” Triplett said. “Typically, at some time, customer service will contact the customer to upgrade the service based on the new fiber.” 
The company, according to its vice president and general manager, Becky Dooley, is committed to continuing the project. 
“We are deeply committed to the communities we serve and realize that upgrading these rural areas of Wyoming with fiber optic networks provide an unmatched advantage to our customers,” Dooley said.