Before making the decision to begin construction, MCG launched
a survey with the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce which reported that almost 600 Grinnell residents would be interested in the potential new service. The fact that so many potential customers were receptive to the idea helped MCG make its final decision to start building in Grinnell.
On the heels of MCG’s 2020 announcement that they were exploring fiber optic options in Grinnell,
Windstream announced its intention to enter the fiber optics business and quickly began to install aerial lines that June.
While Windstream installed their lines before MCG, the service is only available to two-thirds of the city, said Steve Burnett, assistant general manager of MCG. “We will do what we always intended to do which is to help the entire community by putting fiber around the entire community, and not just part of it.”