White River Connect’s fiber internet is now under construction in the Theodosia area
White River Connect, a subsidiary of White River Valley Electric Cooperative, has announced that work is now under construction in the Theodosia service area for its high-speed fiber internet service.
According to a White River Connect graphic posted to social media explaining the steps to completion of the project, the construction phase is third of a six-part process. The construction phase will involve aerial crews pulling fiber overhead while ground crews drill to place fiber underground in selected areas.
After construction, White River Connect will move onto step four, splice and test. This is a time when members will see trucks with enclosed trailers on location splicing and testing the fiber network.
The following step is called “drop creation” when crews will run fiber lines to the homes or businesses that will be served. Finally, home installations will occur and service will be turned on.
Although the Theodosia service area is under construction, other areas of Ozark County are one step behind in the “in design” phase. Visit www.whiteriverconnect.com to view the map of service availability and sign up for service in those areas. Customers can also pre-register for service in areas coming soon.
The company has released its pricing packages: The “Starter” package is $69.95 per month for 100 mbps (3-5 devices); the “Pro” package is $84.95 per month for 300 mbps (6-12 devices); and the “Ultimate” package is $99.95 per month for 1 gbps (24-64 devices). The prices are after discounts for enrolling in paperless billing and auto pay.
The Ozark County commissioners provided $200,000 for the project, which was paired other local contributions totaling $9.3 million. Another $47.3 million for the project was through ARPA grant funding offered by the government in response to the covid pandemic and its effects on the country. The project, which will provide internet to rural areas of Ozark, Christian, Douglas, Stone and Taney Counties, is estimated to take four years to complete and will cover over 4,200 miles of fiber. At this time, the fiber internet is only designated in the White River Valley Electric Cooperative’s service area in Ozark County. The eastern areas of the county that are serviced by Howell Oregon Electric Cooperative are not planned for development in the White River Connect project.
For more information about White River Valley Electric Cooperative’s fiber-to-the-home project, White River Connect, visit www.whiteriverconnect.com.