Choctaw Electric Cooperative

PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of this project initially is to make available to Choctaw Electric Cooperative members fast, reliable broadband service using fiber to the home (FTTH). The fund request will construct a 100% fiber network within Southeast Oklahoma including Choctaw, McCurtain, Pushmataha, Bryan, Leflore and Atoka counties. The request is supported by numerous community partners such as Choctaw Nation, LIFT Community Action Agency, Schools, City Government, and County Commissioners. (see attached letters of support) The distribution coops are well positioned to provide these services to a significant amount of the unserved and underserved areas in Southeastern Oklahoma. Choctaw Electric Cooperatives not for profit business model makes our goals and objectives more focused on providing these services to the end-use members. The majority of all federally funded broadband grants have defaulted and there are substantially no programs currently in place to help service Southeastern Oklahoma. There is a strong likelihood that no broadband expansion will happen without these state grants currently in place. Every home, business and school in small towns and rural areas should have access to high-speed internet and phone capabilities. Given these facts, the importance of building broadband infrastructure in Oklahoma cannot be overstated.

EVIDENCE

The on-going pandemic gives strong evidence that reliable high-speed internet connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Every home, business and school in small towns and rural areas should have access to high-speed internet and phone capabilities. Oklahoma has a large digital divide with over 42.22% of its population not having access to broadband. That is almost 1.7 million people. In terms of broadband coverage, Oklahoma ranks 49th out of 50 states only beating Arkansas by a few percentage points. It is estimated that one in four Oklahoman children does not have access to broadband at home. The lack of broadband creates social and economic hardship and drives business away from a community. Given these facts, the importance of building broadband infrastructure in Oklahoma cannot be overstated. Providing affordable broadband access breaks the ?digital divide? experienced by rural Oklahomans in the following ways: o Bringing access at home for students to achieve advanced placement courses and concurrent enrollment at universities, o Ending disparities in health outcomes for those who suffer poor health, simply because of where they were born; and. o Ability to work from home or remotely o Help with economic development and job growth

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The internet is no longer ?nice to have?; it is critical. Whether working and studying from home or applying for unemployment compensation, the internet has kept activities alive. Seeing friends and visiting the doctor without infecting yourself or others became possible under the lockdown because of high-speed internet connections. Extending broadband to rural America is critical for many well-documented reasons, including, robust economic growth, increased access to healthcare through telemedicine, improved public services and safety, civic engagement, as well as direct access to education. Our reliance on the internet during coronavirus has recast how we will behave after the crisis has passed. The big lesson is that we have incorporated the internet as a critical part of our personal and professional lives. This is not going to change. The crisis has sped us forward to a paradigm shift in which we rely on the internet to bring economic and social activity to us.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project performance will be provided using a random sample test performed during peak hours for 1 week, once a quarter, using a combination of on-premise router test data and Ookla speed test data. Choctaw Electric Cooperative will demonstrate network and project viability by demonstrating the following: ? Take rate of 15% or greater ? System uptime demonstrating 99% availability ? Project summary of progress using maps and overview ? 100/100 Mbps available across the entire project relevant to test area ? Project support letters and satisfied customers letters

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma