Smithville technician Jeremy Blackwell separates the bundled fiber optic strands to make a new connection. He and Bud May were splicing a fiber optic cable that will create a communications loop between two plants for a local company. Smithville's business has expanded substantially in recent years, with its fiber network growing throughout central and southern Indiana. May has worked 34 years with the company, and says "It's not your mom and pop telephone company anymore." David Snodgress | Herald-Times
Catching the latest local high school football match-up is about to get a lot easier.
The Ellettsville-based independent telecommunications company Smithville Digital is launching its own local television programming this fall. And it will start building its content with high school sports.
“High school sports seems to be a big driver for people,” said Cullen McCarty, Smithville’s executive vice president. “People like it. People want to connect with their kids or grandkids, nieces or nephews. They’re on TV. That’s pretty cool.”
Smithville wants to start by carrying Edgewood High School football games. But the company is being cautious as it gets the initiative off the ground — McCarty wouldn’t promise an exact date for its first broadcast. The company plans to use a soft launch that will allow its camera crews to smooth out any wrinkles first, he said.
The company has been working toward launching a local network for its television customers for years. It’s a model that’s been used successfully by other independent companies in the telecommunications industry, particularly those in cold-weather states, McCarty said.
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