April Newsletter 2026

🌷 April Newsletter – Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has officially arrived—and just like your lawn, our fiber family is ready to grow! 🌱

At Fort Dodge Fiber, we’re kicking off another busy season as our crews return to continue our buried fiber drops across town. Warmer weather = more progress (and fewer frozen fingers for our contractors)

🌱 What’s Happening This Spring

• Site Surveys are in full swing to prepare for upcoming installations

• Installations are underway for homes and businesses with completed fiber drops

• MDU Wiring is happening in select apartments, townhomes, and condos—bringing fiber-fast speeds to even more neighbors

• Fiber Drops ARE HERE and trust us, you want to be on that list.

Buried Fiber Drop Process – What to Expect

1. Property Flagging

Our contractor will first visit your property to mark the planned path for your buried fiber line from the terminal vault in the city right-of-way to the grey box on your home or business.

What this means for you:

• You will notice white flags and/or white spray paint in your yard

• This is normal and is the first step toward installation

• Please avoid moving the flags or disturbing the markings

Important — Private Utilities:

Private utilities are not located by 811. If you have items such as:

• Irrigation or sprinkler systems

• Buried electric or gas lines to a garage, shed, or outbuilding

• Invisible dog fences

• Private water or sewer lines

It is the homeowner’s responsibility to locate and mark these private utilities as soon as you see the white flags or white paint.

2. Utility Locates (811)

Once the route is marked, we contact 811 to request official utility locates. Utility companies will visit your property to mark their underground infrastructure (electric, gas, water, sewer, communications, etc.).

You may see multiple crews over several days as each utility responds.

3. Locates Clear

After all utilities have responded and marked their lines, the locate request is cleared. At that point, our crews are authorized to begin installation.

4. Buried Fiber Drop Installation

Our crews return to install the fiber line from the utility right-of-way to your home or business and connect it to the service box.

Installation methods may include:

• Vibratory plow (most common)

• Directional boring (used under driveways, sidewalks, or obstacles)

What this means for you:

• The bury work is typically completed in a few hours

• You do not need to be home for the fiber drop

• We make every effort to minimize disturbance to your lawn. However, as temperatures vary, the installation equipment may leave temporary marks. With normal watering and time, your lawn should recover quickly.

• Grass restoration may take time depending on weather and season

Helpful Reminders

• Keep pets secured during this process

• Do not remove utility flags or paint markings

• Weather and utility response times can affect scheduling

• Our goal is to complete your installation safely and efficiently

🚀 Ready to Get Connected This Spring?

There’s no better time to lock in your spot for a fiber drop—before the schedule fills up faster than a Midwest patio on the first 70° day. 📞 Call us today: 515-515-5000

Can't call? No worries, just click the link to get started:

Residential: Please confirm using our Residential Form

Commercial: Please confirm using our Commercial Form

The sooner you confirm, the sooner we can get you scheduled and connected!

📬 New After-Hours Payment Drop Box

We have a drop box available for after-hours payments. We are working to make a few improvements to make it more accessible from your vehicle but our sign is up and this can be utilized to drop off your Fort Dodge Fiber payment.

📍 Location: Behind City Hall

819 1st Ave S (just east of the Water Department payment area)

Important Reminders:

• Fort Dodge Fiber and the Water Department are separate entities

• Payments placed in the wrong drop box will not be processed (and could result in a late charge or service interruption)

• Please do not combine payments—each department requires a separate check

• Payments are collected daily at 3 PM

• Look for the Fort Dodge Fiber signage to make sure it lands in the right spot

✨ What Else?

📱 New! Fort Dodge Fiber App for Apple Devices

Paying your bill just got a whole lot easier.

Our new app is now available on iOS —giving you a simple, convenient way to manage your account anytime, anywhere.

Currently not available on Android devices - but we are close! Follow our social media for updates on the google app store.

🔋Power Outage? We've Got Your Back(up)! ⚡

Don't let power outages disconnect you. With Fort Dodge Fiber's 8-hour Battery Backup, available for just $4.00/month, your wifi will keep you going, even when the lights are out. As long as you're using our Gateway/ONT, this reliable backup option is yours! Don't miss a beat—keep your connection alive. Call our office to add this onto your plan! 515-515-5000. Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Thank you for having us!

We’re proud to be part of the Fort Dodge community and grateful for opportunities to give back. Joe and Ryan had a wonderful time visiting with the incredible students at Duncombe Elementary—because building relationships and staying involved locally is what it’s all about.

Be sure to sign up for real-time service updates and outage alerts here:

https://fortdodgefiber.instatus.com/

Signing up ensures you’ll receive timely notifications and important service information.

Because We Believe in Supporting Local!

We love highlighting what’s happening right here in our community for our customers. Do you have an upcoming event you’d like featured in our next newsletter?

📧 Email the details to rrowe@fortdodgefiber.com

Here are a few things happening this month in Fort Dodge-

Community Health Center Fundraiser and Celebration

APRIL 11TH | 5:30PM @ THE LARAMAR BALLROOM

Join us as we celebrate 20 years of service at Community Health Center of Fort Dodge!

Our annual fundraiser will be held Saturday, April 11 at 5:30 PM at The Laramar, featuring dinner, live and silent auctions, and music by Scott Kirkhart.

This year’s event will support the purchase of a mammography machine for our Fort Dodge clinic — expanding access to essential preventive care in our community.

Tickets go on sale March 13. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Almost Home's 16th Annual Furball

APRIL 18TH | 5:30PM @ THE LARAMAR BALLROOM

Join us at the Laramar Ballroom for our 16th Annual Furball!

The night will consist of food, drinks, music and more! We will have tons of great silent auction items, as well as some exciting live auction items!

All proceeds benefit Almost Home Humane Society of North Central Iowa

Duncombe Elementary Fun Night

APRIL 18TH | 3PM @1620 6th Ave N

Bring the whole family for an afternoon packed with fun, friends, and school spirit! The Duncombe Elementary Fun Night is a community celebration filled with games, activities, and plenty of chances to make sweet memories together. 

All proceeds support Duncombe Elementary - helping fund student programs, classroom resources, and school-wide activities that make a difference for our kids.

F.O.D. Walk - Community Clean Up Day!

APRIL 22ND | 3PM-5PM

Join us for the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Annual F.O.D. Walk on April 22, 2026! This community cleanup event is a great way to show pride in our city while making a visible impact. The cleanup area will be determined by the number of volunteers, so gather your friends, family, and coworkers, and let's work together to keep Fort Dodge beautiful! Register for the event today! 

VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION →

📅 Office Hours Update (No jokes… well, maybe one):

• April 1st – April Fools! 😄 We’re open and ready to help—no tricks here, just fast fiber.

• April 2nd – Okay, this one’s real—we’ll be closed until 1 PM for an Employee City-Wide Meeting.

• April 16th – We’ll be closed until 10 AM for staff development (gotta keep our team as sharp as our speeds).

Thanks for your patience while we step away briefly—we’ll be back and ready to keep you connected in no time! 🚀

Need Help with Your Account?

Make a Payment: Have your account number ready and call 888-991-2797.

Tech Support: For assistance with your service or devices, call 515-515-5111.

Thank you for being part of our mission to build a faster, more connected Fort Dodge. We appreciate your continued support!