Duck River Electric joined United Communications’ Project UNITE initiative in Dec. 2021 to partner in their efforts to bring broadband access to underserved homes and businesses across the southern Middle Tennessee areas served by the cooperative.

Specific to DREMC members, United serves approximately 12,000 customers with 1,130 miles of service and plans to expand the network in several counties, including Bedford, Marshall, Maury, Franklin and Moore.
United Communications has already invested millions of its funds plus funding from grants received to build out its fiber network to rural areas in Bedford, Davidson, Franklin, Marshall, Maury, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson counties.

“In today’s fast-paced world, having reliable, high-speed internet service has become as vital as having electricity,” said DREMC President and CEO James Wright.

Last year, Duck River Electric forged a tri-party agreement with United and contracted construction crews, which further enhanced the partnership through Project UNITE. This collaborative effort comes in the form of DREMC assisting with make-ready pole attachments to accommodate United’s expansion in Maury, Giles, Marshall, and Bedford counties. DREMC’s engineering, finance, operations, and other teams are lending their support to streamline the process and coordinate any necessary system upgrades for thousands of pole attachments ahead of United’s construction crews working to expand broadband infrastructure in rural areas. This combined effort provides significant savings to DREMC and our members for both the time and money invested in the system upgrades and helps speed the construction of United’s fiber network.

“The DREMC team has done an outstanding job of coordinating efforts, keeping our infrastructure upgrades on track, and working with United to help keep their expansions on schedule,” adds Wright, “and I commend each of them for the time and labor they have invested on behalf of DREMC for the success of Project UNITE.”

In November, United announced its plan to expand internet service to an additional 1,000 homes and businesses in Marshall County. United already serves the vast majority of Marshall County outside of Lewisburg, providing fiber internet to over 6,000 homes and businesses. This $12 million investment, secured through Project UNITE, will bring high-speed fiber access to the remaining unserved areas in the central part of the county.

“The longstanding relationships between United Communications, Duck River Electric and Marshall County have made this critical investment possible,” said United Communications’ President and CEO William Bradford. “Building fast, reliable fiber internet connections adds to the quality of life in Marshall County.”

Originally founded in Marshall County as United Telephone Company in 1947, United Communications still operates at 120 Taylor Street in Chapel Hill and remains committed to serving the region’s growing connectivity needs. Bradford shares that “many of our own employees live in Marshall County, so this project truly is about serving our United family and neighbors.”

“Through collaboration, partnership, and commitment, Project UNITE continues to deliver on its mission of connecting rural communities,” adds Wright. “We are excited to be a part of these efforts to bring reliable internet to our friends, families and neighbors in the communities that DREMC serves.”

Visit united.net for more information.