Indiana fiber collaborative broadens reach
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Martinsville-based Accord Telecommunications Collaborative LLC says four new fiber network providers have joined the organization, bringing its total membership to 25 independent telecommunication companies throughout Indiana. Accord says it is creating the largest contiguous, fiber-based network in Indiana, consisting of fiber companies and electric and telephone cooperatives.
The addition of the four new partners brings the network to more than 25,000 miles of Accord-owned and member-owned fiber.
The most recent additions include Kokomo-based Berry Communications LLC, Nashville-based Mainstream Fiber Networks LLC, Rochester Telephone Company in Marshall County, and Surf Internet, which is headquartered in Elkhart County.
“The middle-mile landscape is changing quickly,” said James Tanneberger, Accord Vice President and CEO of South Central Indiana REMC, who explained the middle mile is made up of high-capacity fiber lines that carry large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances between local networks and global internet networks.
“Folks are starting to realize that as a collective, we can be quite large. We need each other if we are going to build something great and secure the future of rural America,” said Tanneberger. “These new players are opening previously unserved areas, and Accord is poised to help both existing and new players recognize and realize the benefits of joining a large, diverse, middle-mile network.”
Accord says it will be able to take advantage of the vast experience each provider brings to the organization, helping it to fulfill a long-term strategic vision.
“Accord is taking a major step toward the vision of being a multi-state service provider,” said John Sturm, Accord Secretary-Treasurer and CEO of JCREMC.
Accord plans to leverage member assets in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana, and is actively pursuing relationships with potential partners in other states as well.
Accord was created in June 2022.