EPB, Chattanooga's municipal power utility, tops 100,000 fiber optic customers

When EPB, Chattanooga's municipal power utility, launched its Internet, video, and phone services nearly a decade ago in conjunction with its efforts to build a smarter electric grid, the city-owned utility projected it should attract more than 30,000 customers of its telecom services within five years to cover its costs and break even. But the fiber-optic network exceeded those expectations in less than 18 months, and now EPB Fiber tops 100,000 paying subscribers, providing connections to more than 60 percent of all homes and businesses in its service territory. EPB is able to repay its initial telecom investment years ahead of its original forecast, allowing it to provide an extra $42 million a year back into its electric system.