Fiber to the Home Project
The remainder of the Murdo exchange (rural), including areas north, east, and south of Murdo is scheduled for FTTH upgrades in 2023.
Contractors:
Wiring Contractor - Travis Electric
Engineering Consultant - RVW, Inc.
Construction Contractor - North Central Service.
PROJECT UPDATES
December 21, 2023
- Travis Electric is scheduling Phase 2 installations and upgrading customers to fiber. They are trying to reach the remaining customers who have not yet been scheduled.
- Customers who are not yet upgraded or scheduled, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
September 14, 2023
- Phase 2 wiring to connect customers to fiber will begin in the next few weeks. Customers will receive a letter from Golden West to let them know to expect a call from Travis Electric to schedule an installation.
August 17, 2023
- Fiber construction, cleanup, and splicing are complete.
- The engineering consultants are updating maps of the newly buried fiber cables.
- Phase 2 wiring to connect customers to fiber will begin in the next few weeks. Customers will receive a letter from Golden West to let them know to expect a call from Travis Electric to schedule an installation.
August 10, 2023
- Fiber construction, cleanup, and splicing are complete.
- The engineering consultants are updating maps of the newly buried fiber cables.
- Phase 2 wiring to connect customers to fiber will begin in the next few weeks. Customers will receive a letter from Golden West to let them know to expect a call from Travis Electric to schedule an installation.
August 3, 2023
- Ripley’s Inc. has completed construction in the Murdo Rural project area. They are currently working on cleanup.
- Technicians are finished splicing and testing the new fibers.
- The engineering consultants are updating maps of the newly buried fiber cables.
- Phase 2 wiring to connect customers to fiber will begin in the next few weeks. Customers will receive a letter from Golden West to let them know to expect a call from Travis Electric to schedule an installation.
July 27, 2023
- Ripley’s Inc. will finish main line construction this week.
- Construction cleanup is underway.
- Technicians are splicing and testing the new fibers.
July 20, 2023
- Ripley’s Inc. will be working northeast of Draper on 226th and 227th Streets.
- Construction is nearing completion. The next stage of the project will be fiber splicing, which is already underway.
July 13, 2023
- Ripley’s is working south of Draper, then will move south of Murdo.
- Travis Electric has finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
July 6, 2023
- Ripley’s crews are off this week. They will return on July 10th to continue with cable plowing.
- Travis Electric has finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
June 29, 2023
- Ripley’s crews are off this week and next. They will return on July 10th to continue with cable plowing.
- Travis Electric has finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
June 22, 2023
- Ripley’s has one plow crew working on 229th Street east of 285th Avenue. A second crew is plowing south of 284th Avenue.
- Travis Electric has finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
June 15, 2023
- Ripley’s is continuing with main line plowing and plowing lines to customer premises near the intersection of 279th Avenue and 244th Street. A second mainline plow is working north of Draper with a crew plowing lines to customer homes working in the same area.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
June 8, 2023
- Ripley’s is continuing with main line plowing and plowing lines to customer premises along Lincoln Road (277th Avenue). They another mainline crew working south of the interstate on 279th Avenue. They will be installing lines to customer homes in this area as well.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
June 1, 2023
- Ripley’s is continuing with main line plowing and plowing lines to customer premises along Lincoln Road (277th Avenue).
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
May 25, 2023
- Ripley’s has two plows burying fiber plus crews plowing lines to customers homes along Lincoln Road (277th Avenue) north of 236th Street.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
May 18, 2023
- Ripley’s is plowing north and east of Murdo along 273rd Avenue.
- Another crew has been working south of 1-90, then will move north of Draper.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
May 11, 2023
- Ripley’s is plowing north and east of Murdo.
- Another crew has been working in the town of Murdo. They expect to be finished next Wednesday.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
May 4, 2023
- Ripley’s Inc. has nearly completed work in Draper.
- They will be working next week north of Murdo, then move east.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
April 27, 2023
- Ripley’s Inc. is placing vacant pipes to customer homes and businesses in Draper. They have two plows burying main line cable north of Murdo.
- Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Murdo Rural Fiber to the Home project area (including Draper) and do not yet have a clamshell installed or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
April 20, 2023
- Travis Electric has been installing boxes, or clamshells, on customer homes. They will continue this work until all customers in the project area have a clamshell in place.
- Ripley’s has starting boring, or drilling and inserting pipe underground, north of Murdo.
- Customers who have questions about clamshell installation or upcoming construction can call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
April 13, 2023
- Vantage Point has a crew of right of way agents in the area knocking on doors and reaching out to landowners to request easements for the construction planned this year.
- Travis Electric has been installing boxes, or clamshells, on customer homes. They will continue this work until all customers in the project area have a clamshell in place.
- Customers who have questions about clamshell installation or upcoming construction can call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
April 6, 2023
- Vantage Point has a crew of right of way agents in the area knocking on doors and reaching out to landowners to request easements for the construction planned this year.
- Travis Electric will be calling customers to schedule a time to hang a protector, or clamshell, on homes included in this year’s project area. They plan to begin these installations next week.
- Customers who have questions about clamshell installation or upcoming construction can call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.
March 30, 2023
- Vantage Point has a crew of right of way agents in the area knocking on doors and reaching out to landowners to request easements for the construction planned this year.
January 26, 2023
Golden West Will Bring Fiber Optic Technology to Murdo Area in 2023
WALL, SD – Golden West continues to expand its fiber network through rural Murdo, including areas north, east, and south of Murdo. Fiber optic technology allows for greater bandwidth and speeds, offering a more reliable and secure connection to the world for all telecommunications services including internet and phone.
The Fiber to the Home (FTTH) project will convert homes and businesses from copper cable to long, thin strands of glass called optical fibers, like a strand of hair. These fibers use pulses of light to transmit data and are immune to environmental factors such as electrical currents and water. The multi-year process of upgrading all Golden West customers involves burying about 14,000 miles of fiber-optic cable.
“To put that in perspective, it equates to a cable that would stretch from Wall, South Dakota, to the southern tip of South America and back – that’s 14,000 miles,” emphasizes General Manager and CEO Denny Law. “While the effort is significant, the need is enormous as broadband access plays an integral role in our lives today, both personally and professionally.”
Golden West will host an informational open house for subscribers in and around Murdo who are a part of this year’s construction project. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the Jones County School in the mini gym, on 404 Jackson Ave. in Murdo. Those in attendance can learn more about the project from Golden West representatives and can talk with contractors who will assist with the local project. Attendees can also enjoy refreshments and register for door prizes.
Three contractors will complete the project in the rural areas of Murdo on behalf of Golden West. The wiring contractor is yet to be determined. Ripley’s Inc. will handle construction, and Vantage Point will cover easements, permits, and inspections. Golden West will take care of customer service.
FTTH is a multi-stage project that can take up to a year depending on factors such as weather. Current customers will be transitioned to the new fiber optic technology after construction is complete late in 2023 or early in 2024. At that time, customers will be able to subscribe to Golden West’s faster internet speeds.
Currently almost three-quarters of the Golden West service territory is served by fiber. The cooperative is committed to upgrading its entire service territory to fiber within the next four to five years. In addition to Murdo, Golden West will also complete fiber projects this year in rural Custer, Enning, Maurine, and in the Colton and Humboldt-Montrose exchange, towns and rural.