MCG has prices ready, buildout expectations for Newton

Steve Burnett, general manager of Mahaska Communication Group (MCG), is confident Newton customers will be impressed with the communication company’s fiber-optic internet services. But he also knows people have two questions they want answered: How much will it cost? And when will it be ready?

During the March 21 meeting, Burnett referred to the company’s website — www.mahaska.org — to browse pricing in Newton. According to their site, broadband alone is $59 for 1 GB or $99 for 2 GB. The company also provides phone and television services in bundle packages, ranging upwards of $205.

Jason Hewitt, engineering and construction manager of MCG, said the buildout of the broadband underground network — the first phase of which was approved by the city council on March 7 — is broken down into segments in the city. Each segment is based off of about 144 potential customers.

MCG plans to have a number of segments in the northeast side of town finished by the end 2022, Hewitt said. By 2023, the company will move its way west.

“The estimated completion right now will be … by, give or take, the end of 2023,” Hewitt said during the council meeting presentation.

Burnett said the fiber project is altogether about a $9 million investment in the community. The actual buildout of the broadband system will cost MCG about $6 million, while the equipment install will cost about $3 million.

Currently, the MCG office is being constructed in Legacy Plaza. Burnett expects the office to be completed within a month but probably will not be open until July. The company will start installing customers in the finished areas in August. At least, that is the plan right now.

“We’re going to put fiber up and down every street in town,” Burnett said. “So if somebody wants our service, they can take it. If they don’t want our service, they don’t have to take it. It’s entirely up to them. But it’ll be there if they ever decide they want it.”

MCG calls itself “not your ordinary communication provider” for a reason, Burnett said. The company took 3,000 phone calls this year, he added, and out of those calls only two went to voicemail. Every call that was answered, Burnett said, was answered by a real person rather than an automated machine. It is what the company prides itself on.

“Do you ever get this where they tell you, ‘We really value you as a customer, but please continue to hold we’ll be with you in a moment’ and then you keep going through that? You’re not going to get that from us,” Burnett said. “You’re going to get a live person who will take care of you. You’ll have an office you can go to (as well).”

MCG staff schedule appointments on the hour. Burnett said if a technician says he or she will be there at 8 a.m., they will be there at 8 a.m. If there is a service outage, MCG promises to get its customers back up within 24 hours. Burnett said service is typically returned within a couple of hours.

Other communities benefitting from MCG services include: Grinnell, Lake Ponderosa, Montezuma, New Sharon, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa and Sigourney. The Newton office will add a handful of jobs; the company is looking to hire four install technicians, two customer service representatives and an office manager.

“I’m truly excited that we can come to Newton,” Burnett said. “We want to come where we’re wanted and needed. We felt like we were wanted here. At the time it felt like we were needed. I promise we won’t let you down.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com