High-speed Internet has arrived in Hill City, and Meg Warder couldn't be happier.

Warder is president of Black Hills Central Railroad, which operates the 1880 Train steam-powered excursion trains that run between Hill City and Keystone.

She said it has been a struggle for her company to offer online reservations, check-ins and other customer services that firms with good Internet service take for granted. "It has been a nightmare," she said.

Qwest Communications International recently launched its new digital-subscriber-line Internet service, called Qwest Broadband, in Hill City. Qwest is the first land-based broadband offered in the burgeoning Black Hills town.

And Golden West Telecommunications is working on a cable-based broadband system for Hill City that should be completed early next year. In the meantime, it is offering DSL service as a Qwest reseller.

Warder's Black Hills Central Railroad now uses other forms of Internet access, including ISDN, to do business on the Web. But there have been serious reliability problems, Warder said.

"The main joke of the guys in the engine house was 'The old (steam railroad) equipment is running, but your computers aren't,' when the train was held up," she said.

Hill City is one of the fastest-growing communities in the Black Hills. The once rough-hewn logging town has become a center for art galleries, outdoor sports and tourism. It is home to Prairie Berry Winery, the Jon Crane Gallery and other upscale businesses.

Qwest's DSL service provides high-speed Internet access through copper telephone lines. It offers speeds of up to 7 megabits per second, and broadband's always-on service means that customers don't have to wait for a dialup connection. Qwest's prices start at $26.99 per month plus tax.

Larry Toll, Qwest president for South Dakota, said the company launched the Qwest Broadband service two weeks ago, and a dozen customers have already signed up.

"We are excited to bring Qwest Broadband to Hill City and offer residents and businesses cutting-edge, advanced technology to stay connected," he said.

Qwest already offers its DSL service in Rapid City, Spearfish and other Northern Hills towns. DSL has technical limits - it has a range of about 18,000 feet from each terminal - and the terminals are expensive. Toll said Qwest in the past has been concentrating its DSL investment on larger population centers.

Now, however, Hill City is apparently poised to take advantage of broadband Internet. Toll said a recent Qwest mail-in survey of its Hill City customers showed that 20 percent would be willing to sign up for broadband Internet if it were available.

And some customers who now have two telephone lines - one for voice and one for dialup Internet - can cut back to one phone line with a DSL connection. That will offset some of the customer's cost for broadband.

In addition, Qwest is offering Windows Live service, a suite of antivirus, antispyware, search and other services free to its Qwest Broadband customers in Hill City. J.D. Power & Associates recently rated Qwest the highest in customer satisfaction among high-speed Internet providers in the Western region.

Golden West's cable project began Oct. 1. The company will rebuild Hill City's cable system, which will allow Golden West to offer new cable services, such as digital channels and high-definition television, as well as broadband Internet.

The company is currently burying a 12-mile stretch of fiber-optic cable from Custer to Hill City. When that is done, the company will rebuild the existing Hill City cable system. The project should be completed in early 2008.

"Once completed, the upgrade will improve reception and expand the channel line-up for cable viewers and bring cable-based high-speed Internet service to the community," George Strandell, general manager and chief executive officer of Wall-based Golden West, said.

Golden West acquired the Hill City cable system in January 2006 from Galaxy Telecom.

Contact Dan Daly at 394-8421 or dan.daly@rapidcityjournal.com