Ultra high-speed broadband rollouts tend to lean heavy toward larger metro markets for obvious reasons, not the least of which is that their bigger pool of potential subscribers makes a quicker return on investment more readily apparent. But smaller markets are just as keen to lay claim to a “Gigabit City” crown and the potential economic development benefits that might follow such a deployment.

Cable ONE is an operator that has prided itself in serving smaller cities and towns, and has made several Gig announcements in the last several months. Those include services to residents of Globe and Miami, Ariz., Anniston, Ala., Boise and Western Idaho, Norfolk, Neb., Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho, and Sioux City, Iowa. Cable ONE reports it has invested more than a half billion dollars in the last five years on network upgrades and enhancements.

This week, the operator announced another 1 Gbps deployment – this time in Twin Falls, Idaho. Cable ONE points out that its GigaONE service is 40 times faster than the average speed currently offered across the United States, and it plans to make it available across the majority of its markets by the end of 2016.

“Cable ONE will be the first provider in the majority of our markets to offer gigabit speeds to residential customers,” the company’s VP of Marketing Joe Felbab says. “Unlike many of our competitors, gigabit service will be available to all of our customers – not just a select few in certain areas.”