Manager’s Message – January/February 2023

Are You Ready for the Future?

Embrace 2023 and beyond

Happy New Year! This is always an exciting time, because in so many ways the months ahead seem like a fresh canvas waiting to be filled with plans, hopes, dreams, accomplishments and more. But if you’re like many of us, a little bit of 2022 may linger.

Maybe it’s that credit card bill showing holiday purchases, some unfinished to-dos, or a pondering on what all you thought you would accomplish last year, compared to what was actually accomplished. Really, how things went in the previous 12 months can inform how you approach 2023 because we rarely start a new year completely fresh.

For example, as a business, our past performance informs us about our budget, the status of our infrastructure and the well-being of our staff. And that’s just a start!

In 2022, Eastex added approximately 1.4 MILLION feet of fiber optic cable to our network, expanding our fiber internet access to more than 3,600 additional residential and business locations. We also opted to participate in the (Federal Communications Commission) FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, allowing qualifying households to receive $30 discounts on their monthly internet service, or $75 discounts for our members living on Alabama-Coushatta tribal lands. We delivered free internet service to qualifying student households under (Texas Education Agency) TEA’s Connect Texas program. We applied for, and won, American Rescue Plan Act funding from Polk County, allowing us to enter into a partnership to expand our fiber footprint in areas of that county that have been underserved for far too long. We also applied for a Reconnect Grant under a program administered by (United States Department of Agriculture) USDA, which we hope will produce rewards in 2023.

Our cooperative has been extremely busy over the past year and more, working hard to deliver on our promise to bring essential fiber internet service to our rural members and customers, and bridge the digital divide. And while we know our work is not even close to being done, we’ve laid the groundwork for a very productive year in 2023, and a future-proof network for decades to come.

What can you expect us to paint on our canvas this year? Well, we will soon be revealing a new website with better accessibility and much more functionality, allowing customers to identify what internet service is available at their specific address and easily express interest in receiving our service. You will see our construction crews and staff working in more areas to continue building our fiber network. We will work with regulators to ensure transparency and accuracy with national broadband mapping initiatives, and will continue to explore opportunities to secure more funding for fiber expansion.

We hope you are as excited as we are about our plans and the groundwork we’ve laid to achieve our goals. The best part is that we are taking this journey with you — our members, friends and neighbors. You are the WHY in our mission, and we are so very glad to be able to serve you.

Rusty Dorman
General Manager