Why broadband is more than a utility

This is a paid post from Midco.

Simplified: Broadband is the connection that links you to the internet. It used to be a luxury, but – especially in the last year of virtual meetings, remote work and online schooling – it's become essential.

Why it matters

• Broadband is a utility in that it's connecting your home with a broader service. But it goes beyond providing one function like water or electricity and connects you to a world of possibilities online.
• Midco works behind the scenes continuously to ensure the network is working, updating and preparing for the future. Part of that future preparation also includes anticipating what broadband needs will look like for the next generation.
• That's why Midco is working toward 10G internet speeds, which would mean 10 gigabytes of data per second (for context, that's more than you need right now by a lot, but who knows what technology will bring in the coming years.)

"The world has realized that you cannot get along without broadband access," said Jon Pederson, Midco's chief technology innovation officer. "Things like speed, reliability – it was important. Now it's very important."

What is broadband, exactly?

It's a connection to the internet, essentially.

Midco connects your home to a broader fiber network, and that fiber is the physical conduit to the virtual online world.

Broadband is the term that applies to the high-speed internet connection itself.

But, if it feels like too much to understand, the good news is you really don't have to understand the internet to use it.

"If people take it for granted, then we've done our job," Pederson said.

How Midco is helping expand broadband access?

In Sioux Falls, the company helped hook up 4,000 people with internet access during the pandemic, Pederson said.

The company is also helping to expand rural broadband access across multiple states.