Your Eastex

Member-Owned Service

Eastex Telephone Cooperative is committed to serving you! We have a rich history of member-owned service. Eastex dates back to 1950 when our charter was formed. We are one of the first phone cooperatives established in the nation.

Today, Eastex and its affiliates and subsidiaries, Eastex.Net and ECS Security and Automation, are proud to deliver top-quality:

Broadband Internet

High-Capacity Data Transport

Phone

Wi-Fi

Security and Automation Services

Our services are delivered to thousands of subscribers from 3 regional business offices in Henderson, Livingston, and Waskom, Texas.

Who Leads Eastex?

Eastex is led by an executive team and a 7-member board of directors

Board members recognize the importance of critical telecommunications and broadband services for rural economic development

The directors and employees are proud of Eastex’s truly enviable growth record and are committed to providing its member customers with the best telecommunications and data solutions available

Who Do We Serve?

Eastex currently serves 21 exchange areas with advanced digital switching equipment

Nearly 10,000 route miles of network cable, with more of that being upgraded with fiber optics every day

The Cooperative serves the counties of Rusk, Panola, Cherokee, Shelby, Harrison, Hardin, Liberty, Tyler, San Jacinto, Polk, and Walker with highly trained and committed staff

We live in the East Texas communities we serve and consider ourselves more than your communications provider – we’re your neighbors and friends.

Demographics

Close to 10% of Eastex’s residential member-customers are Lifeline beneficiaries

In 10 of the 11 counties served the median household income level is lower than the national average

In many instances, the median income is 30% less than the national average, or approximately $35,000 per year for a household

In some cases, the poverty percentage is over 10% higher than the national average

Climate & Geographic Challenges

In addition to the demographics for Eastex’s serving territory, the Cooperative serves an expansive area of east Texas that is rich with climate and geographic challenges.

As determined by the Texas Department of Transportation, Eastex is located in a Hurricane Evacuation Zone

Portions of its service area are prone to high winds and hurricane activity

The Cooperative suffered damage in 2005 as a result of Hurricane Rita, and again, in 2008, suffered damage from Hurricane Ike

In 2020 an EF-3 Tornado damaged our service area

Dense Forests

Eastex’s service area covers portions of the 4 national forests located in Texas, including Sam Houston, Angelina, Davy Crockett, and Sabine.

Serving areas with dense forest brings a distinctive set of challenges:

In the national forest areas, special use permits must be sought and precautionary measures followed to ensure that forest areas are preserved and protected
Before the Cooperative may bury any cable or fiber rights of way must be granted by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service
Often, environmental assessments must be performed before approval is granted, creating additional expenses for the Cooperative

Lakes, Rivers, & Streams

Eastex also serves areas replete with lakes, rivers, and streams.

The Cooperative’s service area houses a portion of the largest man-made body of water in Texas, the Toledo Bend Reservoir, which has an area of 185,0000 acres
Eastex’s area also includes Lake Livingston, an 83,000 acre lake with a shore length of over 450 miles
Due to limited access across these lakes, as well as the numerous rivers and streams, Eastex expends additional resources to lay facilities around these bodies of water

6 Non-Contiguous Areas

Eastex also has the unique challenge of providing service to 6 non-contiguous areas.

Areas are separated by hundreds of miles
Often, transport facilities necessary to connect these areas, and to provide the FCC mandated broadband services are expensive, not available, or inadequate
Eastex continues to seek and find solutions to meet this challenge