One of the glaring issues that came to light in 2020 was Wyoming’s necessity for broadband internet connection in cities, but especially in rural areas that are notoriously dead spots in Wyoming.
Visionary Broadband is a local Wyoming company, headquartered in Gillette, which focuses on providing quality internet service, especially in rural markets. Visionary has been hard at work throughout the past two years, implementing the newest technology for the internet: fiber.
Fiber internet is an ultra-fast and efficient connection that not only provides more stable internet but also has self-healing technology, in the event that a line is cut. “Visionary is implementing new fiber technology into the market, which is a forward-thinking move. Fiber is ‘future-proof’ and scalable. The fiber we are putting into Wyoming is state of the art, better than the fiber found in high population centers like downtown Denver. Plus, Visionary is invested in reliability, so the redundancy efforts are throughout our market, so when technology runs up against challenges, Visionary is right there to provide an alternative. Not many companies offer the redundancy that Visionary does,” said Stacie McDonald, Director of Public Relations.
Visionary has been providing reliable internet for the past 27 years. They have built their reputation for being available to their customers and continuously evolving their place in the market, especially now with their newest fiber projects coming to Casper and Cheyenne.In 2021, Visionary won the bidding process to place fiber in the Natrona County and Albany County School Districts, but instead of building directly to the schools, Visionary has decided to build a fiber loop. In Casper, this means that businesses and residential properties will be ‘tied in’ to the new fiber construction, enabling fast, reliable internet for Casper with the option to expand in the future.
When considering this project, managing partners, Brian and Greg Worthen “decided they couldn’t only build direct when they had the capability to hit every neighbor along the way. This is an investment into the Casper community today and into the future,” said McDonald.
Being a nimble company has availed this group the flexibility to take on large projects at a quick pace. Through the CARES Act funding, the Wyoming Business Council awarded Visionary with a large sum to improve the State’s broadband infrastructure, the catch? They had 77 days to complete the project, which they did. Now, with the new fiber projects coming to Casper and Cheyenne, their timeline is no less ambitious. Visionary plans to break ground and start construction toward the end of this month, and complete the project by early July, granting the permitting process.
The Wyoming State Broadband Program urges residents to visit www.wyobbmap.org to take a speed test and student connectivity survey. The data will help the Wyoming State Broadband Program identify underserved areas and allow providers, including Visionary Broadband, to address areas lacking adequate internet.
For more information and to stay up to date on Visionary Broadband news, please visit vcn.com
