Arkansas Co-op Continues Through Crisis
We have long seen the need of our members and communities for reliable and fast internet service, given that it has become a necessity in many parts of life . . . This network is important for our community, and Conexon opened our eyes to the fact that not only could we provide the service, but we could offer a gold-plated solution to our members.
At a time of uncertainty, one thing is certain: The world is interconnected in many ways, and the future of information, education, work, healthcare, shopping, social connection and entertainment are all tied to internet access . . . While much of the world has hit the pause button, MCEC is moving forward.
First REA Co-op Follows Suit
Monroe County EPA [Director] Tom Crook once told me about his grandfather’s role in establishing Monroe County EPA, which was the first REA (now RUS) electric co-op in the country . . . Monroe County EPA has sustained the community with electricity for over eighty years. It will now bring that same commitment to service and provide both electricity and broadband to the community for the next 80 years.
Construction on the network will start before the end of the year, but Monroe County EPA has already started on the engineering work. Yesterday, the co-op shared on Facebook a picture of General Manager Barry Rowland affixing a tag for the new fiber network onto a utility pole to kick off the project. Excited members left comments like, “Can I love this post twice?” and “Congrats on changing lives,” and posted memes to celebrate.
With the schools, the situation we’re dealing with, we’ve allowed Wi-Fi access in our parking lot here. One of our members, she thanked me because she comes to our parking lot and watches their church service. I think it will be great for the whole communities we serve.
Conexon Connects Co-ops to Funds
“Big Lake Refuge” courtesy of Jeremy Bennet/U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 (CC BY 2.0)