Rural Missouri - August 2022 - 9

three to four years until completion, the network
also will provide phone service and enable smart
grid capabilities to Sac Osage's infrastructure.
The latter's benefits to the co-op include improved
power outage response time, better load balancing
and more efficient electricity delivery.
" The lesson rural America learned in the 1930s
doesn't need to be re-taught, " says Conexon Partner
Jonathan Chambers. " If you wait for a large
company like Google or AT&T to build a network
to your farm or your home, you're going to wait a
long time. So, you may as well get to work building
your own network. Like the electric cooperative
networks, our fiber networks are owned by the
communities we serve. "
The network's first customers, Sac Osage Electric
members Jan and Reed Prewitt who live in El
Dorado Springs, say the difference in speed from
their pre-existing service to broadband was immediately
apparent. Jan says the 100 Mbps connection
for both uploads and downloads allows the
Prewitts to pay bills online or video chat with family
members located around the country with ease.
" We were only getting about 10 (Mbps), and that
was the best they could do out here, " Jan says of
her previous service provider. " This is 10 times
faster. I think it's the greatest thing Sac Osage
could have done, to team up and get fiber in here. "
The service also proved important for area
businesses. Before broadband, Backyard Portable
Buildings owner Lester Byler had to set up multiple
Wi-Fi hotspots so his office could send large
attachments of building specs via email. While
Conexon performed his installation in June, Lester
anticipated the time and money he would save.
" The upload speed is going to make a big difference, "
Lester says. " Even the lowest speed they
offer is 12 times faster than our download, and
almost 80 times faster on the upload. It's night and
day. You can't even compare the difference. "
The Sac Osage member, who also has a 100
Mbps connection at home, adds now that his company's
database is entirely cloud-based, he needs
not only high speed but also reliability.
" In the short time I've had it, the service difference
is huge, " Lester says, " I haven't experienced
any outages, and whenever I call, they answer the
phone. You aren't on hold for four hours. It's the
best thing in our county. "
El Dorado
Springs
For more information on
high-speed internet availability
in Sac Osage Electric
Cooperative's area, visit
www.sacosage.com or
www.conexonconnect.
com.
AUGUST 2022 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 9
Above: Sac Osage members Reed and Jan Prewitt were the first subscribers to
the fiber network. Jan uses the connection to video chat with family members
from the comfort of her back porch. Below: Conexon workers trench fiber
at Lester Byler's business, Backyard Portable Buildings. Broadband will replace
multiple hotspots Lester once used to send email attachments.
http://www.sacosage.com http://www.conexonconnect.com http://www.conexonconnect.com http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - August 2022

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