PC Telcom shifts from telephone company to broadband company

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the April 6 annual meeting for PC Telcom was canceled. The local telecommunications and broadband cooperative still provided an annual report to its members through a packet in the mail.

“We are living in unprecedented times. For the first time in Phillips County Telephone Company’s history (d/b/a PC Telcom), no annual meeting will be held. This is a first — at least as far as I know,” said Vince Kropp, chief executive officer and general manager, in a letter to members.

PC Telcom’s business office is also closed to the public right now, which unfortunately is the norm for businesses as the country tries to control the spread of COVID-19. Kropp told members that PC Telcom remains in full operation and is relying on technology to interact with customers.

In his annual report, Kropp said 2019 was a good year for PC Telcom. The cooperative allocated $603,100.53 in capital credit patronage.

Another highlight was that PC Telcom winded down its replacement of customer routers. It was also about 60% complete with a project to provide broadband to a small area in Sedgwick County, and PC Telcom hopes to explore the possibility of expanding broadband to some nearby unserved areas in 2020.

“We were also very excited to have paid off our USDA Rural Utilities Service loan last year — approximately eight years early,” said Kropp.

This year, PC Telcom is anxious to deploy new Wi-Fi 6 routers. “We believe that our members/customers will also be excited about the many new features that will now be available. Benefits or features such as: Wi-Fi signal that is approximately 40% improved (think Wi-Fi on steroids), a user-friendly app that provides for user access and customization, a smart Wi-Fi technology that is able to find a path of least resistance when interference is present, parental controls, the ability to create and manage guest networks, hub functionality, Internet of Things and a great deal more,” said Kropp.

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