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.