How OEC Fiber is meeting the needs of the modern family
The needs of the modern family have changed dramatically over the years. The desire for more flexibility and the need to have multiple devices connected at once makes having reliable, high-speed internet not just a luxury, but a necessity. Internet services that provided download and upload speeds of 10 to 15 Mbps were once acceptable but are finding themselves obsolete today.
“I think the modern family needs the capability to connect four of five devices at once,” said OEC Fiber subscriber Kris Glenn of Norman. “In this day and age, the expectation is that we are able to operate all those devices seamlessly at an acceptable speed.”
An electric company providing fiber services may seem outlandish to some. How can a company designed to deliver electricity offer internet, TV and home phone service when these services do not even use the same equipment? In 2017, OEC’s board of trustees set out to provide a solution.
“In the beginning, I thought ‘How is an electric cooperative going to pull this off?’” Glenn said. “Then, when I learned that a lot of the infrastructure was already there, it made a lot of sense.”
Having the proper infrastructure in place is one of the biggest obstacles utilities face when bringing service to an area. This includes the lines, poles and other equipment needed to get service from point A to point B.
OEC, according to our high standards for reliability, carefully designed these systems for stability and longevity. The overhead cost needed to build a broadband network prohibits many service providers from building service to rural areas. Existing OEC infrastructure convinced OEC’s board of trustees to build out a broadband network to areas other companies would not.
“I heard there was a possibility of doing this, and I got really excited,” Glenn said. “I didn’t think we had effective internet options in our area. I knew that if OEC did it, they would do it very well.”
Glenn and his family were so confident the service would be a step in the right direction, they were some of the first to sign up when the service became available in their area in January, 2019.
“We took advantage immediately. Installation was super simple, and the service is amazing. It’s just so reliable. I mean, it really is. I can’t think of one outage since we’ve had it.”
This reliability has led to a more sustainable work-life balance for Glenn, who serves as the director of parking and transportation for the University of Oklahoma.
“It’s allowed for days that if I have a sick kid, or if the pandemic is surging, I can work from home,” Glenn said. “OEC Fiber is the most reliable internet I’ve ever had, and it runs quietly in the background. You don’t think about it. You don’t ever have to worry if it’s going to work, if it’s going to have the bandwidth, the speeds. It’s just incredibly reliable, incredibly fast internet service.”
This fast, reliable service is not confined to the walls of their home. It gives them the ability to fully enjoy all the aspects of their property in previously inaccessible ways due to limited Wi-Fi coverage.
“OEC Fiber ran an extender to the pool house. There are times that I go out there and take my laptop and work quietly, and it’s just as reliable out there with the extender as it is in the main house.”
Providing the type of connection the modern family needs is something OEC and OEC Fiber pride ourselves on. Our mission is to improve our subscribers’ quality of life through the safe delivery of highly reliable, reasonably priced fiber services and exceptional customer service. We give you less to worry about, so you can focus on what’s most important to you.
To learn more about how OEC Fiber can modernize how your family lives, visit www.oecfiber.com.