“Access to high-speed Internet, it’s just, it’s become second nature and a critical part of our daily lives,” says Bill Soards, president of AT&T Indiana. “For a long time, I think people have really dreamed of the day when fiber optics would be run directly to their home.”

Some people no longer have to dream because that day has come. AT&T officials their 100% fiber-optic network is now available to thousands of people in Evansville.

“I think a lot of us, self-included, take technology for granted. We sit at a desktop; we have a device in our hand, maybe it’s a phone, maybe it’s a tablet. We want something to happen faster than it’s going to happen. So that’s why it’s imperative for AT&T to make the investment that it is,” says Evansville Mayor, Lloyd Winnecke.

AT&T officials say the company has invested more than 50 million dollars in Evansville’s wired and wireless networks. They say this is aimed to increase the efficiency for Hoosiers and business owners in the tri-state, which will, in turn, improve the local economy.

“It used to be about the road infrastructure and the electric grid and you know those basic kind of infrastructure needs. But access to high-speed Internet is becoming critical, especially in the digital economy where more and more of these businesses require the kind of bandwidth we’re bringing to Evansville to be successful,” says Soards.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke says this investment is a testament to the growth happening in Evansville.

“We’re the third largest city in Indiana, so the fact that a company like AT&T recognizes the need here, says a lot,” says Mayor Winnecke.