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Established in 2010, Highland Communication Services (HCS) is a municipally owned telecommunications company that provides advanced fiber optic services, including voice, data and video, to the Highland community in order to better serve the needs of the local businesses and residents. HCS was developed in response to overwhelming support from citizens to create a fiber-to-the-premises system. The growing, enthusiastic organization strives to improve Highland’s quality of life and strengthen business opportunities.
After the passing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, much of the private telecommunication service providers that were in the community were bought out by larger corporations. As a result, Highland’s location, just thirty minutes from St. Louis and surrounded by other larger municipalities, began to play a factor in the rate of speed at which telecommunication providers services the community. Because there were larger populations and more businesses located just 5-10 minutes away, these private companies placed a higher priority on servicing the communities that had a higher return on investment. Below are several of the City’s goals and objectives for taking a proactive approach to implementing the fiber optic network.
Goals and Objectives:
- Serve the needs of the residents and businesses
- Create opportunities within the community to enable economic growth
- Create opportunities within workplaces for businesses to expand their technological abilities
- Provide residents and businesses with the opportunity to have more telecommunication options in and services
- Supplement the growth of Highland as it competes with larger suburbs of St. Louis, MO
- Produces the opportunity for the use of technology to traditional industries that can improve productivity and connectivity that would otherwise not have been available to them.
- Generate revenue through community ownership to reinvest system revenues back into the community
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