Connecting Every Corner

Eastex & Texas Leaders Deliver on Broadband Promise

From the red clay hills of Rusk County to the piney woods of Polk County, the light at the end of the fiber line is finally here.

To say the commitment to install fiber across Eastex’s coverage area faced some hurdles is an understatement. This project required planning, patience, perseverance, and plenty of help along the way.

In 2018, Eastex began the process of switching to fiber in a few of its territories. In summer 2019, Eastex’s board of directors agreed to accelerate the expansion, and by the end of that year, 1,800 customers were receiving fiber service.

As work continued into 2020 and 2021, Eastex faced several unexpected challenges brought on by COVID-19. “We got on top of it,” Eastex CEO Rusty Dorman said in the July/August 2025 issue of Connection. “We made large orders of materials, and we got them delivered. So, when we were ready to start, we already had a lot of fiber cable, inner duct, and everything else we needed for the builds.”

In spring 2020, Dorman estimated 3,000 of Eastex’s then-17,000 customers had access to fiber. An additional 3,600 customers had fiber internet access by the end of 2022. As 2024 ended, the numbers grew more impressive with about 83% of Eastex’s coverage area served by fiber. In 2025 the finish line inched even closer with an estimated 93% coverage at the end of the year.

Unique Challenges

In addition to the pandemic-related hurdles of supply chain delays and workforce issues that continue to impact broadband providers, Eastex’s fiber project overcame challenges unique to its service area.

The Eastex service footprint covers 2,300 sparsely populated square miles in six noncontiguous areas carved from portions of 12 counties. Some areas are as far as 70 miles apart. Spanning those long distances with fiber is only possible with circuits leased from other carriers.

The challenge list also includes obtaining permits from county and state offices as well as federal permits for work that cross es national forest land. Add the complexity of navigating waterways and severe weather, and it becomes clear that this has been a major undertaking.

Committed to Community

Eastex believes everyone deserves fiber service, which is why the cooperative continues working to upgrade its remaining service area. According to Dorman, the final work may be some of the most difficult. “These areas that remain, they are the hardest to reach, the farthest out, the least populated,” he says. “But we will get there. It is our commitment to bring fiber to every rooftop in our service area.”

That commitment came with a price tag just shy of $300,000,000, most of which has come from Eastex’s operating budget. While additional funding was created when Texas voters approved Proposition 8 in 2023—establishing a state fund to complement the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program— Eastex’s fiber plans were ahead of the BEAD timeline.

Get Connected

As Eastex nears the finish line, Dorman is asking the Eastex community for a little help. “Now is the time to get connected,” he says. “The fiber main line is in place for the vast majority of our service area. We need everyone to call in and schedule a drop.”

A drop is the installation of the fiber service from the main line to a home or business. “We do this installation for free,” Dorman says. “And in most cases, once they are on fiber, customers are going to see a lower bill.

“Keeping this promise was a long time in the making,” he says. “But there was never any question about it. This is our commitment to local service, and I thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”