Board Approves Lawrenceburg's New Fiber Internet Service Rates

Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at 8:52 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Blazing fast internet service is expected to debut in Lawrenceburg in October.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - We’re finding out how much it will cost to connect with Lawrenceburg’s new fiber line internet service.

Lawrenceburg Municipal Utilities general manager Olin Clawson announced the rates for the new division called Whiskey City Utilities. The Lawrenceburg Utility Board approved the rates Monday.

Introductory prices for Fiber To The Home, or FTTH, will start at $19.99 per month for 10 megabits per second residential internet with tiers going up to $74.99 for lightning-fast 1 gig service.

Residents served by Whiskey City Utilities can also get paid high speed wi-fi internet or free basic wifi.

Businesses in the city can pay for various levels ranging from $59.95 for 50 Mbps service up to $149.95 for 1 gig. Larger customers such as hospitals and schools can negotiate pricing with WCU for dedicated internet access.

The utility is attempting to get customers to sign up for internet service now by only offering the introductory rates through January 1, 2019. High speed service is expected to begin in October, Clawson said.

Mujtaba Ansari, a consultant with IN Solutions, helped to determine the rates for Lawrenceburg. At Monday’s utility board meeting, he said the rates are below the national average.

“Lawrenceburg will have extremely robust internet services for extremely affordable pricing,” Ansari said.

The presence of fiber and data services will be a tool in attracting new businesses and employers to the city. High speed internet availability is often the first question asked by businesses seeking to locate in an area, Clawson said.

As it will be for businesses, the fiber internet will also be a tremendous asset for anyone living or working here. Clawson told the board it can also increase property values.

Whiskey City Utilities is planning to soon commission its newly constructed Data Center. The project was funded by a four-percent, five-year loan from LMU’s electric division.

“This may be the most difficult, but easily the most rewarding project, I’ve had the opportunity to work on. WCU will provide our community with the fastest internet speeds available anywhere in the world and will do so with the same care, concern and responsiveness, that our customers have come to know and appreciate us for,” Clawson said in a news release.

“We presented a very lofty goal to Mayor Mollaun and the Utility Service Board and they backed us at every turn. Mayor Mollaun and the rest of the USB members—Paul Seymour, Randy Abner, Aaron Cook, Mel Davis and Tony Abbott—all trusted in my staff and I, that we could do what only a very small number of other municipal utilities have done. They allowed us to build a gold standard FTTH and Data Center Utility.”

Whiskey City Utilities' Introductory FTTH Internet Rates