When James Meador called Cookson Hills Connect to see how much longer it would be until fiber was available at his home, the conversation was familiar to the fiber team. 

Employees at the Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative fiber subsidiary get the opportunity to speak to members each day who are extremely excited to find out when they will get fiber to their home or business. 

As the team learned more about James’ situation, it became clear that he wasn’t calling because he was eager to stream his favorite TV program or because he needed to use his computer to do business from home. In fact, James doesn’t even own a computer, nor does he have much interest in gaming or streaming movies. He has a much more serious reason for inquiring about the service timeline for his home. 

James’ health depends on a reliable lifeline to emergency services. James, like many other Oklahomans, lives in a remote, rural location with limited or no cell phone service; therefore, he relies on the internet to connect to Wi-Fi and call for help on his cell phone. 

Unfortunately, the only thing worse than his cell service is his internet options which make calling on a cell phone nearly impossible. James lives alone and has some serious health issues. He is a heart patient with a history of suffering from three heart attacks, among other health related issues.

The problem is when he needs to place or receive a phone call, he has one small “sweet spot” where his cell phone signal is strong enough to communicate. He has strategically positioned a phone cradle in a precise location, so he knows exactly where his phone needs to be when he uses it. 

“I just don’t have any other reliable and affordable options since I live this far out in the country,” Meador said. “My need for the internet is much more than fun and games. I have to be able to call for help if something happens, and as of right now there is only one small location outside my home where calling out is even possible.” 

While other providers have business models that exclude building fiber to rural areas, Cookson Hills and other electric co-ops throughout Oklahoma have committed to building the critical infrastructure that provides internet and phone services for those who live outside of the typical geographic boundaries in which other companies provide service. 

“James’ story is a sobering testimony as to why we must continue our efforts building out fiber to every unserved and underserved household throughout Oklahoma,” says Juli Orme, CEO of Cookson Hills Connect. 

The story of James Meador is only one of the hundreds of thousands among the citizens of Oklahoma who are facing the consequences of a digital divide between urban and rural areas. However, with each passing day and every new connection to rural homes and businesses, co-ops in Oklahoma are working to help bridge the digital divide. 

You probably have heard our story. Co-ops serve because it’s our mission. It’s our core value. It’s how we began – bringing electricity where no one else would. We saw a need and we filled it.

But that’s not the only reason we serve. We serve because it’s our calling. It’s why we’re different.

There are certain attributes that naturally belong to a cooperative employee. They care about those they serve.

This is true for 29-year veteran employee, Office Services Director Tamara Hawkins, “I started my co-op career as a membership clerk and quickly realized it was a perfect fit for me.”

Co-op employees are helpers, civic volunteers, coaches, and neighbors. We feel the need to give back, to serve others and to help make lives better. “It’s my job to make serving our members the best it can be,” Hawkins said. “I take a lot of pride in that.” 

That’s why when the desperate need for high-speed internet in rural areas became apparent, we knew we had to do something. We knew we had to find a way to meet a need for our members. 

That’s another thing about co-ops, we care enough to find a way.  We believe in our mission to serve and follow through. We deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity and now we are privileged to expand this service into reliable internet through East Central Electric Cooperative’s fiber subsidiary, ecoLINK. 

It’s fitting that ecoLINK’s fiber internet initial member project will be completed during East Central Electric Cooperative’s 85th anniversary year. For East Central, 85 years ago, it was about bringing much needed electric services to the rural areas.  Now, it’s about bringing fiber internet to those same areas.  

“This is more than a job to me,” Hawkins stated. “And now, offering high-speed fiber makes the job that much sweeter.” It puts the icing on the 85th anniversary cake. 

As owner and CEO of Community Options, Inc., Grace Peterson understands that where there is freedom and independence there is also dignity and hope. Community Options provides these and more to the individuals it serves in northeast Oklahoma.

The Chelsea-based company offers residential and vocational placement for nearly 60 special-needs individuals. Its mission, explained Peterson, is three-fold in nature and ranges from fostering independence through employment to assisting with medical needs to creating recreational opportunities.

“Our goal is to help them learn become as independent as possible in their living skills and give them meaningful employment,” she said. “They take a lot of pride in doing a job and receiving a paycheck.”

Peterson added: “We also help them access the community for shopping and recreational activities and with medical issues. We make sure they make scheduled physician appointments and that they receive any prescription medications at the proper times.”

Community Options began contracting with the State of Oklahoma in 1999 to provide essential services for mentally and/or physically-challenged individuals. It began utilizing BOLT Fiber Optic Services for its technology needs five years ago. Not only does BOLT provide internet service to the company’s office headquarters, it also delivers both television and telephone service to some of the Community Options group homes.

“All of our billing, payments, receipts, and interaction with state employees relies on the internet,” Peterson said. “State-mandated training is also done via the internet. We also use internet services to pay our employees.”

When choosing a provider, Peterson said reliability is the number one priority.

“We also consider pricing, and we like to keep our business local as much as possible.”

BOLT is proud to partner with Community Options and keep its clients connected with the fastest and most reliable broadband services available.

Peterson, for one, has not been disappointed.

“BOLT services have been very reliable,” she said. “Anytime there has been an issue, they have been there to correct the problem no later than the next day.”

It took less than a day for the phenomenon of scooters to roll across the local college town of Stillwater, home to Oklahoma State University and 25,000 students. The electric scooter company, Spin, allows students and residents mobility across the 30-square-mile town by placing rentable scooters throughout Stillwater and OSU’s campus. 

Many students walk to and throughout the 700-acre campus from their homes or designated parking spots, making the scooter company a staple not only on campus but also throughout Stillwater.

“Spin’s scooters connect students to the community, and from personal experience – they are a lot of fun!” said Mark Prather, Centranet’s President of Fiber and Technology. “Centranet works to better our local communities through connectivity, which is why we are so happy to have Spin as a business subscriber.”  

The scooters are app-based and used daily, making Centranet crucial to their business, local students and residents. For business and residential subscribers, reliability and affordability are key components that set Centranet apart from local competitors. 

Spin, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co. based in San Francisco, brought 200 scooters to the OSU campus in January 2019. The scooters, which are available from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and rented through Spin’s app, are charged and updated each night at their warehouse outside of Stillwater utilizing Centranet’s high-speed fiber connection. 

Zipping around town is not the only benefit to students and residents, it also provides an extra source of income for those who pick up the scooters and take them to the warehouse for charging and updating each night. The scooters are dropped off at designated locations each morning. 

Similar to how Centranet provides affordable pricing to subscribers, Spin worked with OSU to lower rental expenses for students, faculty and staff by halving the cost of the standard unlock rental fee from $1 to 50 cents. 

Centranet, LLC, is a locally owned and operated subsidiary of Central Rural Electric Cooperative located in Stillwater, Okla. Centranet serves more than 6,000 residential and business subscribers and is a member of the Cooperative Broadband Coalition.

We live in an age where access to technology influences nearly every aspect of our lives. From work, education and even health care, access to reliable high-speed broadband services enhances how we live.

“Internet’s considered a utility,” said OEC Fiber’s Fiber Optic Technician Jeremy Shives. “You’ve got to have it.”

Before the days of rural broadband, living in the idyllic setting of rolling hills and countrysides filled with lowing cattle was unavailable for many. The lack of reliable high-speed internet made living in the small communities that make up much of Oklahoma unappealing.

“[People] were unable to get internet unless you were in the city,” said Jeremy Kilpatrick, manager of fiber optic technicians for OEC Fiber. “Now, you’ve got just as good, if not better, internet out in the rural areas.”

According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, rural broadband availability has changed how many Americans view rural migration. It removed many obstacles keeping people from relocating to more remote areas.

Rural communities have exploded in the last decade. A usafacts.org article states that Oklahoma has grown an average of 0.5% annually from 2010 to 2021. This steady growth saw a significant increase in 2021 as people looked for more relaxed rural places to call home.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 17.9% of the workforce, roughly 27.6 million people, work primarily from home as of 2021. The ability to work from home is dependent on broadband access.

“[We build fiber] so people can communicate with the rest of the world,” Kilpatrick said. 

Bringing reliable, high-speed broadband to rural communities is giving them new life. It opens the doors of opportunity, giving younger generations more reason to stay than to go. It changes communities for the better. With rural broadband, anything is possible. 

Lake Region Technology and Communications, a subsidiary of Lake Region Electric Cooperative based in Hulbert, Okla., has built over 3,000 miles of fiber-optic cable to serve rural areas in Cherokee, Wagoner, Muskogee, Rogers, and Mayes counties. 

With 90% of U.S. adults using the internet these days, we believe fast internet is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity and the modern way of life. 

Electric cooperatives were originally formed to help meet members’ needs. In today’s world, there’s a clear demand for reliable, fast internet. Lake Region has stepped up and built a fiber network for rural communities that have been overlooked for years. Rural families in our service area currently have or will have access to legitimate high-speed, reliable internet. Families can now work from home, get an online education, stream movies and shows, listen to music, pin their next home renovation project, and live a modern life that is no longer held back by lack of internet or by poor availability of access.

The state of Oklahoma ranks 43rd in internet connectivity, well below most states. Cooperatives can play a significant role in helping the state to reverse this ranking. Lake Region Technology & Communication, for example, has been successfully operating and constructing a fiber network for over a decade. With this experience and workforce, we can provide internet service to surrounding communities and towns lacking a broadband connection. Lake Region has built relationships with many community leaders and received letters of support to expand their network into more rural towns and communities. 

Lake Region is focused in improving quality of life in eastern Oklahoma. The co-op has collected data from several people desiring the expansion of our network. Although these towns have internet service providers, the speeds are slow, customer service is poor, and the investment in infrastructure for growth is non-existent. 

Data shows the people of eastern Oklahoma counties are interested in a faster, more reliable internet provider. Lake Region is listening and is acting on it. 

Connectivity is one of the core aspects of a healthy community for both residents and local businesses. In today’s day and age, it is difficult to imagine a business running smoothly without stable internet access. Keeping track of finances, processing credit card payments, and taking orders over the phone all require some sort of internet connection, and it’s certainly good for business if that type of connection happens to be fiber broadband. 

“Before high-speed Wi-Fi with OzarksGo, our credit card processor was taking like 5 to 10 seconds with each transaction,” said Joe Fletcher, owner of Okie Joe’s BBQ in Stilwell, OK.

“That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is when you’ve got a person waiting in the window and you’re trying to move on to the next thing. With OzarksGo, it’s a second or two. It’s an immediate transaction.” 

Building Trust 

Building trust with those we serve doesn’t stop with providing a necessary service.  Having our own local customer support team has allowed us to provide a more personal touch to assisting our customers with their technical issues.  

Building Community 

“I can call OzarksGo and… they come out immediately,” said Joe. “They know that we’re a business, they know how important it is that our internet’s working, and they come out and troubleshoot until they get everything working. It’s immediate, the response is immediate.” 

Joe even referred to one of our representatives on a first name basis saying that “When we were having issues, something was going wrong with our computer system, Frank came right in, diagnosed the problem… and it worked out great.” 

Building Jobs 

The reliability of our network has allowed Joe and his staff to focus more of their attention on serving their clientele of local workers, families and out of town visitors. With this increase in capacity comes an opportunity for growth, which can create the need for new positions as the business expands. 

Building a Better World 

Rural communities deserve the same interconnectedness as their urban neighbors and providing local businesses with the tools they need to grow is just one part of building a better world for our customers. We continue to provide reliable, personal support long after the drop has been completed to the home or business, making their service both more sustainable and more enjoyable.

For their jobs.
For their access to medicine. 
For their children. 
For a better way of life. 

This is why we serve.

In 1937, Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Corporation (AVECC) gave light to rural Arkansans who were left in the dark, helping transform the River Valley into a prosperous, industrial, and leading agricultural region of the United States. 

AVECC has once again answered the call, taking the initiative to provide River Valley residents spanning western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma with high-speed, broadband internet.

AVECC believes families should not have to choose between living in rural America and having access to an invaluable tool to help their family succeed in their career opportunities and educational pursuits and gain access to life-saving medical measures. 

High-speed broadband internet could be the difference between either settling for a lower-paying job or pursuing an online degree that will launch a new career. High-speed broadband internet in your home means Friday nights are spent with your family watching a movie on a streaming platform without the threat of buffering. High-speed broadband internet means medical patients can communicate with their doctor instead of driving to the nearest facility, sometimes hours away.

The American standard of living should not change based on proximity to city limits. However, with rural Americans having to make those choices every day, talented, equipped, and valued individuals are being left behind in the digital divide. 
High-speed broadband internet is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. 

Cooperatives recognize the dire need for high-speed broadband internet and have risen to the occasion to provide it. 

Wave Rural Connect (WAVE) was established in 2018 as AVECC’s subsidiary, providing high-speed broadband internet to over 46,000 AVECC members over a five-year buildout. WAVE has been described as “life-changing,” “the best thing since sliced bread,” and “the best internet service for rural areas.” 

One member shared, “As someone that lives in the last house on a dead-end dirt mountain road, I am thankful that you promised service to ALL AVECC members. No other providers would ever have come out this far to my house.”

Cooperatives are uniquely equipped to bring high-speed broadband internet to rural Americans because we value the rural way of life and possess the tenacity to get the job done.

Cooperatives have proven reliable, sustainable, and responsible to rural communities and are continuing in our pursuit to close the American digital divide. 

Simply put, AVECC, WAVE, and all other cooperatives and cooperative-owned fiber companies serve rural Americans because it is the right thing to do.

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. They comprise 99.9% of all U.S. businesses, over two-thirds of the net new jobs created since 2000 and employ roughly half of America’s private sector workforce according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2021). However, even as vital as small businesses are to the American economy, many are still faced with the hardships created by the digital divide.

Stewart Wholesale is the quintessential rural business. E.H. Stewart started Stewart Wholesale on October 1, 1975 while working full-time as a salesman for Harvey’s GMC in Shawnee, OK. Mr. Stewart continued investing into the business and growing it on the principles of meeting the needs of his customers with reliable, knowledgeable service. By 1979, his efforts resulted in E.H. operating the business full-time. 

Stewart Wholesale continued to grow as customer testimonies spread throughout their industry. In the 1990s, Stewart Wholesale made the jump into the technological era to ensure their business was viable into the future with their first internet connection, a T-1 circuit which delivered a blazing 1.5 Mbps! Over time they added more circuits, culminating in a total of 6 Mbps of bandwidth. The bandwidth barely provided the capacity for their point-of-sale system, much less allowing them to digitize their business to reach online customers nationwide.

“Many times, we find ourselves looking up parts from suppliers and confirming tracking orders on our cell phones because it is faster than our internet connection in the shop,” Earl Crabb, sales manager for Stewart Wholesale, said. “We have grown the business by offering superb customer service and always answering the phone. However, the lack of high-speed internet keeps us from utilizing technology in the way we would like to.” 
They were faced with one option to meet their bandwidth needs – spend tens of thousands of dollars in construction costs to the incumbent provider. That is until CVEC Fiber announced their plans to build fiber internet to serve rural businesses and residents. 

“CVEC Fiber internet is phenomenal! With our previous provider, you couldn’t do multiple tasks at once, much less run a business. With CVEC Fiber, the service is almost too fast,” Crabb said. 
Fast is an understatement. Stewart Wholesale is now operating on a 1 Gig circuit which equates to 167 times their previous bandwidth. 

Small businesses, like Stewart Wholesale, are not merely a building with a product. They are the lifeline of the rural communities that we call home and were built over time with grit, determination, and impeccable customer service. CVEC Fiber, like many other electric cooperatives, are answering the call to provide fast, reliable broadband service throughout Oklahoma to ensure that rural businesses, farms, and ranches have access to the technology that is shaping every industry across our nation, allowing them to not only sustain their operations, but to flourish.

By definition, cooperatives are built on cooperation. To be ‘cooperative’ means to work together towards a common goal.

Cooperatives are centered in people. They are owned, controlled and operated by their members and prioritize quality of life for those they serve. Co-ops are not owned by shareholders, the benefits of the services they provide stay in the communities they impact every day. Profits generated are either reinvested or returned to members. 

Cooperatives stand out because they are member-focused, not-for-profit and community driven. They go the extra mile because they care. Cooperatives are built on the premise of neighbors helping neighbors.

It is based on this strong foundation that several electric cooperatives are active players in helping to bridge the digital divide. In Oklahoma, 10 out of 27 distribution electric cooperatives have created fiber subsidiaries to bring high-speed internet to rural and suburban areas. 

While conditions are unique for every electric cooperative, the co-ops that have been able to form a fiber subsidiary were able to do so based on accessibility of grants and other favorable economic conditions. Other co-ops partner with existing providers, when feasible, to extend service to their rural membership. 

Nationwide, hundreds of electric cooperatives are providing broadband or assessing the feasibility of providing service to more than 6.3 million households in co-op service areas that don’t have access to high-speed internet service. 

It’s what cooperatives do. They see a need and they put their best effort forth to meet a need. If it means achieving a higher quality of life for those they serve, co-ops will respond. This is the cooperative difference.