At the next Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club meeting April 9, speaker Rod Olson will share background about Vernon Telephone Cooperative (VTC), focusing on the development of broadband in the region.

He will discuss the importance of broadband to economic development, VTC's investment in broadband and in fiber-optics, gigabit communities and gigabit industrial parks, an introduction to broadband levels of service, broadband applications, and the future of broadband and its costs and cost causers.

Olson is CEO & General Manager of Vernon Telephone Cooperative, based in Westby. He has been in the communications industry for over 36 years. He was instrumental in the creation of Vernon Communications, LLC and Midwest Video Solutions, LLC where he serves as president and also as an officer of Midwest Telnet, LLP.

Vernon Telephone had one of the first IPTV deployments in the US and rolled out service in 2001 that is delivered on its broadband platform. VTC and its partners accomplished this through strategic partnerships between other rural telcoms, network providers, and vendors to cost effectively manage the high price of developing this product. To further advance its services, Vernon Telephone is in the process of deploying fiber optics to every home in its serving area that covers the majority of Vernon County. Vernon Telephone’s Vision Statement reads, “Our goal is to be the best communications provider possible and promote economic development in our community.”

Plan to attend at the Food Enterprise Center, 1201 North Main St., Viroqua. Networking starts at 5:30, the program begins at 6 p.m. Meetings are free and no reservations are required. 

The I&E club is organized jointly by the Crawford County Economic Development Corporation, Vernon Economic Development Association and Viroqua Chamber Main Street.

For more information, contact David Connolly at dcnnlly@gmail.com or 326-0234, Sue Noble at snoble@veda-wi.org or 638-8332, or Emily Rozeske at viroquapartners@gmail.com or 637-2575.