72 years later, keeping the promise to provide the latest telecommunications equipment means members will receive optic fiber lines to access both telephone and broadband internet at the speed of light!

State and federal authorities support rural telecommunication co-operatives with special funding to offset the high cost of providing these services to rural residents. Initially, this support was in the form of low-interest long-term loans. Today, financial support comes from the Universal Service Fund provided to rural service providers.

“We know there is no better technology than fiber optics; it is an engineering fact. It has a life span of over 50 years based on its reliability and scalability to multiple 100 Gigabyte connections today. It just takes a little longer construction to build it correctly.” states ETEX CEO Charlie Cano. “Wireless and satellites are a quick fix for residential use, but they will quickly be out of date as usage demands grow. We utilize underground construction to ensure a reliable network. Windstorms and tornados in recent years have caused destruction of aerial utilities while our underground networks remained uninterrupted.”

ETEX converted over 70% of their copper line customers to fiber optics. The two-year plan as illustrated above will allow them to convert over 90% to fiber optics. “The current schedule is conservative and allows the company to provide services without incurring substantial debt. We hope to win some federal or state grants to accelerate the construction plans. The Texas Broadband Development office which administers the funds is behind schedule and, there are concerns that legislator swill reduce support funds for rural areas.”

ETEX receives many requests to explain why fiber optic construction terminates at random intersections and appears to skip nearby member locations.

Mr. Cano explained the federal dollars they receive under the Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) Dictate which locations they need to connect first, which causes gaps in locations that ETEX will ultimately complete once they fulfill the ACAM construction requirement. ACAM locations must be connected prior to the end of the 2028 calendar year. ETEX estimates that those remaining member locations, representing approximately 30% of its total membership, will cost over $45 million dollars to construct.