Packwood leaps into digital age

Packwood, Iowa, where the single red blinking traffic light is a directional landmark. Where the town?s children still ride bicycles down Main Street and play outdoors in the town park until dusk. Where small town values still apply, and business can still be conducted on a hand shake; yet this rural town has big time technology needs that clearly demonstrate why broadband is not just about cities.

Thanks in part to the partnership between LISCO, a fiber optic telecommunications company in nearby Fairfield, and Dickey?s Transport, a family-owned transportation company, the town of Packwood now has high speed fiber optic broadband connections that benefit the whole town.

The evening of June 11, representatives from LISCO met with Packwood city council to discuss the implementation of LISCO?s wireless Packwood broadband solution for residents of Packwood. Using the newly constructed fiber optic backbone put in place in town to support the telecommunications needs of Dickey Transport, LISCO is working with the community to bring reliable wireless broadband options to town.

The challenge was how to deliver faster speed to all the homes without the huge expense of a fiber drop to every home. Improved wireless technology collects the signals and hauls them back and forth to LISCO using the fiber optic connections already in place at Dickey Transport. LISCO installed a 55-foot high tower at the fire station on Main Street which is directly connected to the fiber making it possible to reach out to rural residents scattered throughout the city limits.

LISCO?s President Lance Yedersberger said ?LISCO knows it is absolutely critical for small rural areas to enjoy the economic benefits of high speed internet technology.? LISCO overbuilt the entire city of Fairfield with fiber optic mainline, allowing any LISCO customer, resident or business, to have up to 100 mbps of internet speed. Now LISCO has turned to helping surrounding communities to hop onto its fiber network and enjoy the stability of improved wireless products transported over LISCO?s fiber optic backbone.

Packwood Mayor David Dickey pointed out, ?The impact of this technology on the youth of Packwood is critical for our rural students who need internet access for book reports, research, and other school related items. LISCO connected the library and other key vital services to the fiber network, demonstrating how local companies step up when it comes to community support.?