Cookson Hills Connect

PROJECT PURPOSE

The fund request will complete the construction of a 100% fiber network within Cookson Hills Electric?s service territory in Sequoyah, Haskell, and the southern portion of Muskogee counties by providing up to 1 Gbps symmetrical high speed internet ? something unheard of in these rural areas. The request is supported by the local communities, county commissioners, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and state legislators of the local constituents. 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, ranking 49th out of 50 states in broadband coverage. 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 local communities. Given these facts, the importance of building broadband infrastructure in Oklahoma cannot be overstated.

EVIDENCE

None

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

As with most areas, the local schools were forced into virtual instruction. Most areas do not provide ample internet service that allows the schools to properly instruct virtually. Although hotspot options were sent with children without internet service, good cellular service lacks in many of these same areas. Also, many parents are employed in the oil and gas industry ? especially in the exploration and drilling. During the pandemic, with the shutdown of most of the drilling, many parents were forced to either leave the area or find work in other industries. This has led to many returning to school to train in a different field. The lack of reliable internet has made the online college training challenging in this area. Also, as the pandemic has continued, rural folks are left without proper medical care or treatment due to unavailable appointments. High speed internet would allow telemedicine options in lieu of in person appointments, helping ease this issue.

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. Cookson Hills Connect, LLC will demonstrate network and project viability by demonstrating the following: ? Average take rate of 36% 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 letter of satisfied customers

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

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