Image
Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative Launches $4.8 Million Broadband Expansion Project
By
on
The Oklahoma Broadband Office (OBO) and ecoLINK Fiber Services recently announced the commencement of two different broadband expansion efforts that aim to bring affordable fiber to unserved homes and businesses in the rural northeastern corner of the Sooner State.
According to an OBO announcement, the two projects will cost $4.8 million and will soon bring fiber to 265 homes and businesses in Creek County.
OBO provided $2.9 million in federal grants made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), with ecoLINK, a subsidiary of the East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (ECOEC), providing $1.9 million in matching funds.
Image
A commencement celebration of the project launch was held in the town of Slick in Creek County on Tuesday, September 10. The deployment is part of more than $374 million in ARPA-enabled grants aimed at shoring up broadband access in the state.
“Expanding broadband access in Slick and throughout rural Oklahoma will unlock new opportunities for education, healthcare, and business, fostering growth and innovation,” OBO Executive Director Mike Sanders said of the launch. “This investment ensures that every resident can get connected and thrive in the modern digital age.”
With 35,000 electric cooperative members spread out across its 3,000 square mile service territory, in 2019 ecoLINK fiber began building its fiber network. Where service is now available members are getting access to three tiers of fiber service: symmetrical 100 megabit per second (Mbps) service for $55 a month; symmetrical 250 Mbps service for $75 per month; and symmetrical 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) service for $85 a month.
All tiers come with a $100 installation fee, but have no usage caps, hidden fees, or long-term contracts.
Image
The cooperative was first formed in 1938 out of frustration with slow rural electrification efforts, and like most electrical cooperatives, is very familiar with bringing essential services to long-neglected corners of rural America, and now more than 200 of the nation’s 900 electrical cooperatives have leveraged that century-old experience to expand into residential and business fiber deployment.
“This project is similar to when the co-ops first brought electricity to rural homes and farms,” East Central Electric CEO Tim Smith said.
“It made such a difference in the lives of those who had been overlooked or refused service. Now, over 85 years later, we are able to provide another valuable service to households across our territory thanks to the help of the Oklahoma Broadband Office.”
Last January, the OBO approved $374 million in ARPA broadband grants – with $90 million in matching funds from 31 broadband providers – to connect 55,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses to fiber. Roughly $159 million in Capital Projects Funds (CPF) remain, with 150 proposals fielded by 40 different providers so far.
Image
In Creek County alone, six ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) grants worth $9.8 million were doled out to five ISPs, who’ll provide an additional $22.4 million in matching funds to connect 1,602 total locations to broadband service.
Oklahoma is also slated to receive $750 million in Broadband Equity Access And Deployment (BEAD) broadband grants made possible by the 2021 infrastructure bill.
Inline images courtesy of ecoLINK website
Geoterm
Related Stories
Maine Issues RFP For Long-Planned MOOSE Net Middle Mile Fiber Network
The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) is seeking proposals to help design and construct a major 536-mile fiber middle network that should dramatically improve affordable fiber access across vast swaths of the Pine Tree State. The RFP process closed on September 30 and partner selection will be completed by late October. Designs will be completed and presented to MCA in early 2025, and from that point construction is expected to take around two years to complete.
Two Alabama Cooperatives Win Grant Funding to Expand Fiber Service
The Central Alabama Electric Cooperative and the Farmers Telecommunications Corp. were among winners in Alabama's latest round of grant funding awards to expand broadband access.
Vermont Launches New Fiber Optic Apprenticeship Program With ‘Paycheck From The Start’
In the face of nationwide labor shortages, Vermont state broadband officials launch two apprenticeship programs to beef up its broadband workforce to help build out fiber networks across the state. Earlier this week, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced the launch of a new Fiber Optic Apprenticeship Program officials say will put “participants to work right away, allowing them to learn on the job and earn a paycheck from the start.”
Choptank Electric Cooperative Accelerates Fiber Broadband Expansion in Rural Maryland
Choptank Electric Cooperative says the Denton, Maryland-based co-op is making significant progress on efforts to deliver fiber access to largely underserved residents of the Old Line State. The cooperative says it has passed more than 13,000 locations statewide.
Indio, California Gets $9 Million Grant For Fiber Network
Indio, California has been awarded a $9 million state grant the city will use to expand affordable broadband access. An incorporated city located in Riverside County and home to 92,000 residents, the city will use the grant to deliver gigabit-capable fiber to 479 unserved locations and an estimated 3,632 unserved local residents.
Plumas-Sierra Telecom Nabs $67 Million In FFA Grants Across Four California Counties
A California telecom and electrical cooperative says the state’s ongoing last-mile broadband grant program will help deploy affordable fiber to multiple communities across four heavily unserved and underserved California counties. The cooperative says it’s poised to receive roughly $67 million in FFA grants to expand affordable broadband to roughly 6,600 unserved and underserved locations across Sierra, Plumas, Lassen, and Nevada Counties.