True to Central Texas’ reputation as a world class technology center, businesses can rely on sophisticated and reliable information technologies to maintain a competitive advantage. Over 1,000 technical professionals maintain a network spanning more than 130,000 miles of fiber in Central Texas.

Central Texas enjoys one of the world's most advanced, robust, and redundant telecommunications networks. Unique characteristics include:

• Multiple national and regional fiber backbone providers, protected by SONET rings and Ethernet network architecture, including digital access control, connecting all 23 central offices in Central Texas. Fiber is virtually universal in all routes to customers. Fiber optic connections are available to most major buildings and industrial sites.
• Central offices are equipped with digital switches featuring the latest generic software, signaling system 7 control, and a full array of services throughout the metropolitan area, i.e., ISDN, frame relay, switched digital data, DSL, high band width, etc.
• The newest digital-age services such as Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) capability which is used to prioritize Internet traffic for avoidance of congestion and failures.
• Central Texas is home to AT&T Laboratories, the technology applications Research and Development arm of AT&T.
• Time Warner Telecom, CenturyLink (formerly Embarq), and AT&T are the primary providers in the Hutto area. However, numerous competitive local exchange carriers also provide services in the area.

The Hutto area is part of the deregulated electricity market in Texas. Oncor provides electric distribution and transmission delivery for the Hutto market. Oncor operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, delivering power to approximately 3 million homes and businesses and operating approximately 117,000 miles of distribution and transmission lines in Texas. With electric competition in the Hutto area, retail electric providers sell electricity to residential and business users and routinely handle customer service and billing. For more information, please visit www.powertochoose.org.

Atmos Energy is the natural gas provider for the Hutto area. A high pressure natural gas pipeline is present in the Hutto area that can provide service to virtually and scale natural gas user. Atmos is the country's largest natural-gas-only distributor, serving over 3 million natural gas distribution customers in more than 1,600 communities in 12 states, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipeline systems in Texas.

Click here for the 2008 Energy Report.