Cedar Valley Utah, January 2024

Good news, White Hills residents: Fiber is coming to White Hills in Cedar Valley, Utah.

Direct Communications has already begun the work of building a versatile, state-of-the-art fiber optic network in White Hills.

For 18 years, Eagle Mountain has trusted Directcom as their local Fiber Optic Internet provider. Starting January, we will be laying fiber optic conduit throughout the entire White Hills development. 

We will work steadily over the spring (weather permitting) to finish construction along all city streets by the end of April 2024. By early summer we will begin doing the final fiber drops to each home that subscribes to the newly available fiber optic Internet service. This is going to be a large construction project, requiring millions in investment dollars, but in the end, the remote area of White Hills will have as good a network as any large metro area in the world. This project will be financed by investment from Direct Communications and a state broadband access grant. The Broadband Access Grant program, administered by the Utah Broadband Center, helps fund projects in unserved rural areas.

We are committed to ensuring the economic vibrancy of all of Cedar Valley, and want to improve the quality of life for all of our customers. We are closing the economic opportunity gap between those who have fiber optic cable to their homes, and those without. We want you to be on the right side of that gap—the fiber haves. Having access to unlimited broadband is the future to economic development and personal educational and remote work opportunity for those who want to be part of the global information economy. Fiber is essential. Fiber is the future. 

Thank you for your patience as we roll out this plan and ensure that White Hills will have a premier fiber broadband network.

Sincerely,
Kip Wilson
General Manager, Direct Communications Cedar Valley

Frequently asked questions : Fiber-To-The-Home Technology:

What is Fiber-Optic Cable? 

Fiber is the premiere network communications technology. Fiber optic cable contains strands of optically pure glass, thinner than a human hair, which carry digital information over long distances. Digital signals are sent as pulses of light down the glass fibers, without interference or limitation. This digital transport system is faster, clearer, more reliable, and will give you the bandwidth to access the digital communications services of the future, and today’s IP-based broadband apps such as streaming TV, remote work, video conferencing, home security systems, remote appliance management, and fully symmetrical residential internet speeds up to 1000 Mbps.

How will a fiber connection improve my life? 

Imagine a world where you can stream 4K video to as many devices simultaneously as you want to without any buffering. Imagine a world where your Internet service never goes down, and you never have to waste valuable time calling tech support. This better connection can be yours with fiber optic cable. The fiber line running to your home from the main cable may contain just a single strand of fiber, but a pair of strands could theoretically carry all the information in the Western USA. We will have the ability to provide up to 2 Gbps per second, for both upload and download, to each home in the network. You will be ready for that future. 

Do I need a modem with Fiber-to-the-home Internet service?

No, your fiber connection will not require a modem. Just plug your home network cable or WiFi router directly into our optical network terminal, mounted on the outside of your home, and you will be instantly connected directly to our network via pure Ethernet.

Does my home need to be wired differently to take advantage of fiber-to-the-home?

In most cases, we will simply use your existing home wiring to connect our optical network equipment to an Ethernet jack or router inside your home. In some cases, especially for gigabit speeds, we may need to install a new Ethernet cable from the outside terminal to a new jack inside your home.

How is fiber optic cable installed? 

First, we will use directional boring to install plastic conduit underground in public utility easements along city streets. Then we blow the fiber optic cable through the conduit using compressed air moving at very high speeds. The high-velocity air flow causes the cable to float, and that way we can feed it through very easily. Where the fiber needs to be spliced to serve homes, we put in handholds, or buried manholes with loops of fiber, where we can branch off and pick up those new homes in the future.

Why a buried fiber network?

Buried networks are all about Reliability, Reliability, Reliability! You can count on your fiber connection to work, from fire, to blizzard, to windstorm. White Hills fiber network will be 100% buried—no wireless back hauls or downed lines to worry about. In some recent wildfires that damaged other providers communications lines in Utah, Directcom was unaffected since all of our fiber network is safely buried. In fact, even when you don’t have power, your Internet can still work with a buried fiber network if you have backup battery power on all your electronics.

Will Fiber increase the Value of my home?

Fiber to the home could increase the value of your home by as much as $5,000, according to the Fiber-to-the-Home Council. Our investment in your home means more money in your pocket. More importantly, fiber to your home means a higher quality of life for you in this digital information age, where so much of what we do to enrich our lives has moved online. More Internet speed means more fun.

Fiber can also lead to more economic development in an area due to the advanced technology and Internet commerce opportunities available. This is especially important in rural areas, where a gap has traditionally existed in economic opportunities.

Do I have to choose fiber?

Fiber will be a great new choice available to residents of White Hills. More options will mean better service for you. We look forward to gaining your trust and expect you will want to make the switch to our faster speeds and more reliable service. Typically, fiber provides much higher speeds and more value for the customer. Currently, Direct Communications provides Fiber Internet service to all of Eagle Mountain Utah.

Why Choose Your Local Fiber Internet Provider?

Directcom is a family-owned company, and most of our employees live in Eagle Mountain. When you support your local broadband company, your monthly subscription revenue stays here in the valley and goes directly back into building up your local fiber network and improving life in Cedar Valley.

Directcom is a major donor to Cedar Valley schools, youth sports, and community events. You can walk into our local Directcom office in Eagle Mountain anytime, and speak to real people face-to-face. No AI chatbots. Our tech support call center is located right here in our business office in Eagle Mountain and staffed by your neighbors.

Will getting fiber to my home disturb my yard or property?

If you choose to subscribe to Directcom Fiber, we will plow in conduit across your yard to bring a new fiber line to your home. This is minimally invasive and our goal is to treat your property as if it were our own. We will be always strive to promptly restore your property to a condition as close to original as possible. However, homeowners should also understand that your lot came with legal easements registered to each home, for power, water and communications, and anything planted or built over these easements will always be in danger of being disturbed or removed by any public utility companies. If you have any concerns or complaints, please call our office at 801-789-2800.

What should I expect during the upgrade?

For the first phase of construction we will be inspecting existing utilities and boring the necessary conduit along main routes or streets, pulling fiber and installing neighborhood nodes. The last phase involves placing fiber drops (installing smaller conduit) all the way to the side your home. We will let you know when your fiber connection is ready for service. We will only install a fiber terminal on your home once you order fiber optic service. When everything is in place, we will need to schedule an appointment with you for the final hookup to the network inside your home. We will need a homeowner present at that time.

WHY FIBER?

The Fiber Optic Advantages Are Clear

SPEED

The fastest connection speed known to man – up into the gigabits. We will offer multiple service tiers up to 2 Gig residential speed to our customers. 

RELIABILITY

Fiber to the home uses a pure Ethernet connection back to your ISP, without needing intermediate equipment like a modem. This results in a much more stable, reliable service, which means no downtime for you. Fiber to the home eliminates many equipment issues, and vastly improves your internet experience. 

UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH

Unlimited carrying capacity means NO CAPS. The bandwidth, like speed is only limited by the processing power of the electronics on each end of the fiber. We will never cap your data usage, or throttle your speeds. Stream as much video as you like without worrying about overages.

DISTANCE

Unlike copper, there is no resistance in the fiber optic cable, so the signal can travel much further distances. This means we can now serve even the most remote customers with uniform speeds.

LESS INTERFERENCE

Because it’s literally light being transmitted, there is no interference from electromagnetic noise such as radios, motors, power lines, or other nearby cables. This means a clearer signal and better broadband connection for you. Even lighting strikes, which can be transmitted by copper cabling, are not transmitted by fiber-optic cable.

LESS MAINTENANCE

Fiber optic cables costs less to maintain than traditional copper lines, saving us all time and money.

TO CONNECT WITH DIRECTCOM CALL 801 789 2800.

If you have any concerns during this construction project, please call our office at 801-789-2800.