MetroNet to Make La Crosse, Wisconsin a Gigabit City

Wisconsin marks MetroNet’s 12^th US State

MetroNet today announced that the company will build its fiber optic network in La Crosse, Wisconsin, bringing Gigabit speed internet to residents and businesses for the first time. Evansville, IN.- based, MetroNet is the nation’s largest independently owned, 100 percent fiber optic provider. The City of La Crosse marks MetroNet’s first city build in Wisconsin. MetroNet will fully fund the construction through a $12 -$15 million investment.

“The City of La Crosse is excited to welcome MetroNet to the community as they will provide residents and businesses with more choice for high-speed connectivity,” said Mitch Reynolds, Mayor of La Crosse. “MetroNet’s future-proofed network will greatly enhance our community’s economic development potential and our ability to connect our residents and businesses to success for generations to come.”

MetroNet is bridging the digital divide as one of the fastest-growing providers of 100 percent fiber optic high-speed broadband services in the nation and is known for its superior customer service provided through strong local presence in its markets. MetroNet delivers affordable, symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gigabits with no long-term contracts to homes and businesses in underserved communities across 12 states. The company expects its network to be available to more than 1 million residential households and business locations in the near term, bringing competition for these services to hundreds of communities.

“Our 100 percent fiber, future-proofed network has proven valuable to our partner cities in such states as Minnesota, Iowa, and Kentucky, and we are proud to bring that opportunity now to Wisconsin through our first market in La Crosse,” said John Cinelli, MetroNet CEO. “Mayors and other city leaders are faced with a wide range of choices for their cities when trying to bridge the digital divide. As the nation’s largest and fastest growing, independently owned fiber optic company, our strategy of building without the use of public funds has proven to be a very effective approach to keeping our services accessible and affordable.”

MetroNet expects construction to begin in the spring, with the first customers coming online in the summer of 2022.

La Crosse residents will begin seeing MetroNet trucks throughout the area as pre-construction processes begin across the market. In new MetroNet markets, residents will receive communication by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to starting and the company provides additional messaging, such as yard signs, to let residents know when the temporary construction process is beginning in their neighborhood. MetroNet crews are marked by ID tags and branded vehicles.

Residents and businesses that are interested in MetroNet services may visit MetroNetInc.com to indicate their interest and to receive updates on construction. MetroNet will establish a retail storefront located in La Crosse, Wisconsin for customers to have direct access to customer service and sales.

Additionally, MetroNet plans to hire local market management positions, sales and customer service professionals, and service technicians to support the La Crosse area. For those interested in joining the MetroNet team, visit metronetinc.com/careers to search available positions and submit applications.

About MetroNet:

MetroNet is the nation’s largest independently owned, 100 percent Fiber Optic Company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. The customer-focused company provides cutting-edge fiber optic communication services, including high-speed Fiber Internet, full-featured Fiber Phone, and Fiber IPTV with a wide variety of programming. MetroNet started in 2005 with one fiber optic network in Greencastle, Indiana, and has since grown to serving and constructing networks in more than 100 communities across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. MetroNet is committed to bringing state-of-the-art telecommunication services to communities — services that are comparable or superior to those offered in large metropolitan areas. MetroNet has been named in the top 50 small and medium companies on Glassdoor and has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award recognizing MetroNet among the Best Places to Work in 2020. MetroNet has been recognized by PC Mag as one of the Top 10 Fastest ISPs in North Central United States in 2020 and Top 10 ISPs with Best Gaming Quality Index in 2021. Broadband Now has recognized MetroNet as the Top 3 Fastest Internet Providers and Fastest Fiber Providers in the Nation in 2020, and #1 Fastest Mid-Sized Internet Provider in two states in 2020. In 2020, MetroNet was awarded the Vectren Energy Safe Digging Partner Award from Vectren. For more information, visit www.MetroNetinc.com.

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