TDS outlines fiber-to-the-home plan for East Troy, cites 8‑Gb symmetrical service and planned Q1 2026 start

TDS Telecom presented a plan to bring fiber-to-the-home service to addresses in the Village of East Troy, describing technical capabilities, construction methods and a resident communication strategy.

Bruce Shedd, identified in the presentation as TDS’s manager of business development for government and regulatory affairs, said TDS offers up to 8 Gbps residential service (symmetrical upload and download) and up to 10 Gbps for commercial customers. He said TDS has passed more than 1,000,000 serviceable addresses nationwide and typically sees a roughly 50% take rate where it builds.

Shedd described construction methods as primarily underground directional boring (the presenter estimated roughly 90–95% buried, with a small aerial component depending on engineering), deployed in manageable digital-fiber-network blocks covering roughly 200–300 serviceable addresses each. He said TDS groups work so crews complete a contained neighborhood segment, then "turn up" service for those addresses before moving to the next block. He said TDS will install cabinets or pedestals in rights-of-way and will negotiate private easements where needed.

The company outlined resident communications: targeted mailings three weeks before construction in a block, a follow-up postcard one week before work, door hangers and sandwich‑board notices during working hours, and a project-specific website (tdsfiber.com) where residents can enter an address to check build status. Shedd said TDS provides a triage phone number for construction complaints; calls are time-stamped and categorized low/moderate/high/critical and will escalate if unresolved. He said an internal threshold requires escalation if a call is not acknowledged or handled within about 28 hours, and that the company aims to notify residents of repair timing quickly.

Shedd said the project is currently in the RFP/contractor-selection phase and that East Troy will be added to TDS’s Wisconsin state franchise agreement (which the company said provides municipalities 5% of any video revenue). He said construction work could start in the first quarter of 2026, with completion timing dependent on contractor crews and the number of serviceable addresses the company ultimately commits to serving; in the presentation he referenced the local market as "21 serviceable addresses" (the number spoken in the meeting transcript was ambiguous in context).

Board members asked about restoration standards and promised-payments to contractors: Shedd said TDS typically retains contractor payment until restoration is complete and emphasized an expectation that contractors restore lawns, concrete and other surfaces to like-for-like condition.

Shedd said TDS will host neighborhood breakout and kickoff sessions before construction begins and that the company will assign a local construction manager to introduce crews on site once a contractor is selected.

The presentation drew general board support; no formal board action was required or taken during the presentation.