By the end of 2024, nearly 1,400 homes and businesses in and around Gillette will have access to new and upgraded internet service from Visionary Broadband.
In late May, Visionary, which is based in Gillette, began work on a project with the state and federal government to expand the availability of fiber internet in Gillette and Campbell County. Fiber construction is expected to be completed by Dec. 31 of this year.
When completed, 1,388 homes and businesses that are underserved or not served at all, will be the recipients of fiber internet, including industrial areas on the south side of town, subdivisions along Interstate 90, between Gillette and Wright and subdivisions north of Gillette heading toward the airport.
The total cost of the Gillette fiber project is $6.17 million, with Visionary spending $2 million of its own to complete the build-out. The government funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“We contributed our own monies intentionally, to show how serious we are building out rural connectivity and doing the right thing for the communities we serve,” said Visionary CEO Brian Worthen in a press release.
Fiber internet has upload and download speeds of 1 gigabit per second. And it’s scalable, meaning that if Visionary needs to increase internet speeds, it can use the fiber it already has, instead of having to install more fiber.
Visionary recently completed building out fiber on the south side of town in the Remington Estates and RC Ranch areas, as well as the traditional downtown area from Stocktrail Avenue to Gurley Avenue.
“Visionary takes great pride in being able to help our friends and neighbors in the west become players in today’s fast-paced and demanding world,” Worthen said. “This project will provide Gillette, long known as the energy capital of the west, with yet another tool necessary to continue that tradition.”
The project has three phases, each covering several subdivisions:
HPCC Morning Side and Southern build
Southern Drive Industrial Park
Robertson Industrial Park
Gold Drive Powder River build
Hannum Road Industrial Park
Champion Ventures Subdivision
While Visionary completes this Gillette project, it also is building out fiber internet to nearly 1,200 homes and businesses in and around Wright. For this project Visionary was awarded a $3.13 million state grant and contributed $1.6 million of its own.
