He jokes that all the hard work has paid off, and he’s since seen a shift in the attitudes of residents who have gotten used to having good internet service. In that time, I have heard nothing but praise from the local citizens in the area.”īrickner points to the hard work of his staff, which numbers just 14, and whom he says “wear many hats to get the job done.” One day they may be digging holes, the next day changing the entire route of a fiber project. “Connected Nation started mapping Bascom’s fiber network in 2010, and we have watched them grow little by little. “I’ve had the pleasure of personally watching this network expand over the last decade,” Spann continued. At last count, the company has about 800 customers using wireless and another 1,750 connected via fiber lines.

“I recall reading articles as early as 2003 about their network, which was to include the ‘triple-play’ service (video, voice and data) on a technology platform developed by Optical Solutions (FiberPath 500). At the time, if I recall correctly, Bascom was only serving parts of Fostoria and Tiffin with an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), gigabit passive optical network (GPON).”īascom has since overbuilt all its existing copper with fiber and has some fixed wireless available for outlying areas. “When we began creating broadband maps in Ohio for the first time, in 2008, Bascom was already one of the few companies providing fiber to the premise (FTTP),” said Chip Spann, the Director of Engineering and Technical Services for Connected Nation. That’s only about 6 percent of the entire population of Columbus, the state’s largest city. The entire county has just a little more than 55,000 people. Located about an hour south of Toledo and 25 minutes east of Findlay, the area Bascom Communications covers is mostly rural. If you’re doing the math, that’s just about 12 homes per mile-that makes the economy of scale pretty difficult and that’s a pretty good number compared to other rural places.” “We’re also doing a 30-mile build that passes just under 400 homes. “The build Pauline contacted you about is a 4-plus-mile build and will only pass about 50 homes,” Brickner said. ” ~Nate Brickner, General Manager, Bascom Communications “Lots of people talk about the urban-rural divide but we’re trying to do our best to make sure it’s the opposite. Money was now being directly reinvested into the company and there was no longer the worry of having to constantly increase the profit margin.īrickner, who grew up in Bascom and attended Hopewell-Loudon High School there, says that change made 50 years ago has allowed staff today to focus on meeting the unique needs and sometimes challenging requirements for rural communities. That move would make it possible to expand into new territory. Nearly 50 years later, in 1953, the company’s leadership decided to become a nonprofit mutual cooperative. I think we’re providing big-city access to rural people.”īascom Communications started out as a traditional telephone company in 1906. Lots of people talk about the urban-rural divide but we’re trying to do our best to make sure it’s the opposite. “We were one of the earliest adopters to start doing this. “In the 2003 timeframe, we started deploying fiber in the area,” said Nate Brickner, General Manager, Bascom Communications.

The good news for O’Connor is that a small Ohio company has been quietly connecting rural residents in a northwestern corner of the state. Sometimes it’s a parent upset that they have to drive their kids to a fast-food restaurant to do their homework other times it is a small-business owner or agricultural producer who can’t grow without access. It’s something Connected Nation hears time and time again via email, over the phone, by letter, and out in the field: We have to go somewhere else to even get a connection. Thank you Bascom and whoever aided in any necessary funding.” “This will enable me to communicate with my business from home and not require a 10-mile drive to my office just to look at documents or fax something.

“Soon I will have high-speed internet service, never available before by any provider, at a very reasonable cost,” she continued. Employees at Bascom Communications take on many roles including digging trenches to lay fiber lines

Bascom project hats