Vinton, Iowa’s Municipal Fiber Utility Offers Affordable, Locally Accountable Internet Access Amid Ongoing Pandemic

Demand for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity across the 4.74-square-mile Vinton, Iowa, community (est. pop. 5,100) is so substantial that iVinton, governed by the Vinton Municipal Electric Utility (VMEU), is having to schedule installations a month out as requests for residential service have surpassed the manpower available to complete them as quickly as they had hoped. As the telecommunications utility transitions out of its start-up phase – from working with external consultants to bringing all operations in house and limiting outside vendors – the biggest challenge iVinton has had to overcome is not having enough employees to take on the necessary roles, said Matt Storm, iVinton’s Municipal Communications Manager. Still, the utility is plugging away to keep up with requests for residential installations as iVinton is eager to meet the surge in demand.