They come for the lake. They stay for the connectivity.

Visitors to northeast Oklahoma’s beautiful Grand Lake are no longer “roughing it” when it comes to technology.

Thanks to BOLT Fiber Optics Services, which broke ground in 2014 on its Fiber-To-The-Home deployment, Grand Lake vacationers, part-timers, and full-time residents alike have the broadband capacity they need to keep pace with the most connected cities anywhere.

Of course, the lush, green rolling hills of Grand Lake could never be compared to an actual desert. Now, the area is also no longer a technology desert.

Located in Oklahoma’s Green Country, BOLT Fiber Optics’ service area encompasses more than 1,500 miles of picturesque lake shoreline, much of which belongs to the sprawling 46,000-acre Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees. Thousands of BOLT subscribers reside along Grand Lake’s 1,300 miles of shoreline, which extends from Grove in the north to Disney in the south and includes communities like Afton, Langley, Zena, Ketchum, and Cleora. The natural beauty of the area creates a scenic backdrop for homes and industry alike. Here, you’ll find permanent, seasonal, and weekend residences; restaurants, marinas, recreational businesses, manufacturers, and more.

Visitors flock each year to Green Country on vacation and during holidays. Many become permanent residents once they experience all the area has to offer. Interest in Green Country lakes has spawned numerous business opportunities that help strengthen the local economy. BOLT is pleased to serve the growing Grand Lake area and its diverse needs. Over 14,600 customers have been connected since BOLT went live in June 2015. Approximately 9,000 of those subscribers live near the lake.

Greg Knotts, Manager of Grand Meridian RV, Cabin & Tiny Home Resort in the Cleora community, said access to BOLT Fiber Optics internet service is a big draw for park residents and guests. Knotts said Grand Meridian saw the potential and made and initial investment by installing the necessary infrastructure for its patrons.

“Our people absolutely love having BOLT Fiber Optics here,” Knotts said. “We have BOLT at every site and every cabin. When everything was closed down for two years during the pandemic and people were working from home, our people weren’t working from home, they were working from the lake and loving it. A lot of them didn’t want to go back to the office.”

Knotts says about 25 percent of Grand Meridian residents live on-site full time.

“We use BOLT every day as a selling point and people absolutely love having it available here because it is such good internet service,” he said.