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WiMAX launched in Madison
July 02, 2008 | By CHUCK CLEMENT, Madison Daily Leader

Business executives, the mayor of Madison and South Dakota's congresswoman met in Library Park Tuesday to acknowledge the city's latest acquisition in cutting-edge technology from Sioux Valley Wireless: the launching of WiMAX in Madison.

A person could call Sioux Valley's WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) the much bigger brother to Wireless Fidelity Internet access. WiMAX offers its users Internet mobile broadband access that's measured in miles, not just within a single building or other similar-sized location like WiFi.

Joel Brick, technology director for Sioux Valley Wireless, said that WiMAX's range could extend to rural customers as far as 10 miles outside of Madison. Sioux Valley officials also tout the system's speed saying customers can access the Internet at speeds up to 2 megabits per second. They add that the technology also offers a secure Web connection.

In his speech to the audience gathered in the park for a lunchtime picnic sponsored by Sioux Valley Wireless, Mike McDowell, president of the Lake Area Improvement Corporation, described WiMAX as "another asset in Madison's toolbox." He said Madison joins some of the first communities in the nation to offer the service. McDowell noted that the city is among "very good company" with Jackson Hole, a Wyoming resort town, working at installing WiMAX in the near future.

The featured speaker at the gathering, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, congratulated Madison's leadership and community effort to bring portable, fast wireless Internet service to local residents. Herseth Sandlin said South Dakotans are fortunate to have a group of Internet providers that offer broadband services which help the rural state compete with urban areas.

She said broadband Internet service assists the development of education, health-care and other services that improve the quality of life for residents.

"Access to broadband service is critical," Herseth Sandlin said.

Herseth Sandlin also spoke about Congress' support for the development of high-speed Internet services in rural areas. Congress created a loan program in 2002 that was supported by $3 billion in funding. The Rural Utilities Service was assigned to appropriate the loans which offer interest rates similar to U.S. Treasury bonds.

Don Marker, CEO of Sioux Valley Energy, the parent company for Sioux Valley Wireless, said the foundation for WiMAX was started during the 1990s when Brick purchased the microwave frequencies used for the service. Brick secured the frequencies for Sioux Valley Wireless in 1996 at an auction conducted by the Federal Communications Commission.

During the WiMAX launch event, Kelley Dunne, CEO of Digital Bridge Communications, announced that Sioux Valley Wireless and his company plan to sign a roaming agreement for WiMAX customers who buy services from the two companies. The roaming agreement will allow Digital Bridge and Sioux Valley customers to use WiMAX services in either Sioux Falls or Madison.

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