© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

Internet Services To Expand To Rural Areas

Several remote communities in the state will be able to receive better internet service in the near future.  Visionary Communications has announced a plan to expand its fiber optic line to connect the towns of Chugwater, Guernsey, Pinedale and Torrington to the rest of the state. 

Chugwater mayor LaDonna Sand says, right now, her community has very few options.  “What we have is we have Chugwater telephone company, which also offers the internet.  We have, for satellite, we can get dish and we can get direct T.V.  If it’s not pretty much offered through a satellite, we don’t get it.”

But Sand says it could take as long as a year and a half to get the new services, depending on how many internet companies sign up.  The more companies that participate, the sooner the lines will be brought in. 

Sand says the town of Chugwater—which has a population of 212—is willing to wait since better coverage could attract new businesses and potentially mean more jobs.

Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
Related Content