CFU Communications Utility Celebrates 30 Years

This month CFU celebrates thirty years of the Communications Utility. On October 11, 1994, Cedar Falls voters approved the formation of Iowa's first municipal broadband and communications system. 

In the time since then, the community has continued to support CFU as we invest in infrastructure and update equipment to ensure residents today still enjoy fast, reliable and economical internet service.

At the inception of the Communications Utility, Cedar Falls was one of the first cities in the nation to install fiber optic infrastructure. In 2013, a project to bring a direct fiber connection to every home and business in the community was completed. 

Equipment upgrades in 2020 allowed CFU to launch 10 gig internet service citywide. With this launch, Cedar Falls residents were some of the first in the world to have access to bandwidth of this capacity. CFU earned recognition from PCMag as the fastest internet service provider in the country.

Because of strong community demand for services, equipment upgrades and daily operations are paid for through subscription fees. The Communications Utility is fully self-supporting and has been debt-free since 2019.

CFU's local Board of Trustees work to ensure rates stay as low as possible while continuing to reinvest to keep CFU broadband on the leading edge of speed and reliability. Already work has begun on future 25 gig services and beyond.