United Communications and Middle Tennessee Electric, the state's largest electric cooperative, announced Thursday, Nov. 7 that it has partnered to deliver a dark fiber ring to support the Rutherford County Emergency 911 internal telecommunication needs.

The announcement was made by William Bradford, president and CEO of United Communications, Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric, in conjunction with Steve Smith, Rutherford County E.C.D./9-1-1 Director, at the Rutherford County 911 Center.

The new dark fiber ring will provide the county with a broadband-powered network dedicated to public safety. It will assist the county's first responders meet the new challenges presented by Next Generation 911 requirements as well as provide additional resiliency and advance the capabilities of the Rutherford County ECD 911 System, Smith said.

"The Rutherford County 911 Emergency Communications District is grateful for the opportunity to partner with United Communication and Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation for the implementation of our local 911 Emergency Services Information Network (ESInet)," Smith added.

"Having a trusted, local provider of telecommunications will give the public service agencies of Rutherford County peace of mind that it has a local contact to ensure connectivity and reliability needed to run their town's communications services soundly," Bradford said. "Ultimately, this will allow Rutherford County 911 to better serve the community and furthers our commitment to expanding services in the region."

United Communications is a leading provider of Internet, digital TV, and phone services to enterprise- class businesses and residential customers in Middle Tennessee. United Communications network includes close to 1,000 route miles of fiber connecting in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Smyrna and covering portions of Williamson, Davidson, Marshall, Bedford, Franklin and Rutherford counties. To learn more, please visit www.united.net.

"We appreciate the important role of Rutherford County E911, and we're proud to see this new partnership come to fruition," Jones said. "We are grateful for the trust Rutherford County E911 has placed in our partner, United Communications, to deliver best-of- class fiber and broadband services."