How FECC Delivered Fiber Internet to Underserved Communities Amidst Supply Chain Setbacks
Ever-advancing technology and the availability of online services have turned electric cooperatives’ members’ desire for high-speed broadband into a need. Gone are the days of the internet solely for entertainment—access to healthcare, education, and flexible work environments now rely on a steady connection to the home.
No one knows the struggles of this digital divide quite like rural electric co-ops. At First Electric Cooperative Corporation (FECC), which serves all or part of 18 counties in central and southeastern Arkansas, many members have zero internet service providers, and the demand for one has steadily grown.
In 2019, FECC commissioned a fiber backbone to connect its 49 substations. Building the 500-mile ring would provide SCADA advantages, operational efficiencies for smart meters, and more productive communications between facilities. It paved the way for a fiber-to-the-home deployment, should the co-op choose that route. Soon enough, with the backbone still under construction and demand for FTTH at an all-time high, FECC sought a partner to bring fiber to its members.
Entirely new to the internet service market, FECC needed a partner with a true turnkey approach. They selected Irby Utilities to implement and support their ISP, Connect2First, after Irby’s feasibility study proved that a broadband network was feasible in size, cost, and scope.
The engineering scope started with 100,000 meter locations and 8,000 miles of fiber. With nearly a century of experience in the utility and broadband space, Irby Utilities took responsibility for the project's construction management, project management, network design, and engineering.
Within a year of signing the contract, Irby Utilities had designs engineered, materials on site, and contractors beginning work in the co-op’s most rural communities. FECC quickly grew from building 500 miles of fiber in two years to 2,000 miles of fiber in one year. Where other ISPs connected a few customers per month, Connect2First averaged 20 to 25 customers per day.
“Our expertise is in electricity, so offering internet services was new to us. Irby’s flexibility and vision for their customers, along with their automated processes, has kept us on schedule thus far—and that value is tremendous.”
- Randy Everett, CIO, First Electric and GM, Connect2First
Part of Connect2First’s rapid deployment is due to Irby’s vendor-managed warehouses, securing over $30 million in utility-grade broadband materials. Irby eventually added an office and warehouse closer to FECC’s headquarters to further support operations. “I can’t think of a time we were at a standstill because of material,” said Randy Everett, FECC CIO and general manager of Connect2First. “Irby Utilities always has something to keep us going.”
Within ten months of connecting its first customer, Connect2First added 5,000 subscribers to its network. Soon, the ISP needed customer support specialists to assist staff and maintain excellent service. Hoping to avoid a third-party call center, C2F turned to Irby Utilities, who effectively developed and trained in-house call center techs—a service it now offers all partnering cooperatives. Irby also trained two dedicated sales representatives to assist C2F operations.
Throughout its success, Connect2First has expanded its services beyond the project's original scope. Irby Utilities helped them secure RDOF funding and branch out of its member area, including a recent win to provide gig-speed internet to the city of Cabot. C2F expects to surpass 8,000 subscribers by the end of 2022. “Our partnership with Irby has been extremely successful,” said Don Crabbe, president, and CEO of FECC and Connect2First. “Irby’s involvement in every aspect of our deployment has been an incredible asset.”
Feasibility studies and fiber network design are crucial to a budding ISP's inception, but they’re not enough to deliver best-in-class service and systems over the long term. Irby brings value far beyond initial construction, offering continual support through engineering, compliance, billing, management, and customer service—adapting to the unique needs of every cooperative.
“At Irby, we provide more than a fiber network—we provide a business. Using our personnel, experience, inventory, and full turnkey solutions, we help facilitate the rapid deployment necessary to close the digital divide for rural America.”
– Geff Smith, Sr. Vice President of Communications and Technology, Irby Utilities