This week, our fiber construction crews are drilling just west of Fulton near County Road 305. Conduit is being placed to house the fiber-optic cable in the ground, and crews will later return to place the cable itself. Currently, these drilling crews are plowing underneath the runway at Elton Hensley Memorial Airport.
 
All 11 fiber cabinets have now been placed as well. These cabinets serve as hubs, with homes and businesses in a particular area connecting to a cabinet in order to access our network. Currently, four of these cabinets are live and in service, and crews are working to splice the fiber-optic cable at the remaining cabinets, which will in turn bring service to more areas.
 
This recently occurred in areas north of Highway F and west of Fulton, and we are now taking orders and scheduling installations in that area. We also continue to take pre-orders in some areas south of Highway F. Enter your address to find out when your area will go live and whether we are currently taking orders in your area.
 
And don’t forget to tell your friends and neighbors about Socket’s fiber broadband! We’ll give you each $25 every time you refer a friend who signs up.
 
For more information on Socket’s fiber project, please visit www.socket.net/fiber or call us at 1-800-762-5383. 

With the expansion of fiber technologies, a lot of exciting possibilities come to mind—for example, telemedicine or online education opportunities.
 
But what about farming? A study by the Community Policy Analysis Center of the University of Missouri shows that farming is becoming increasingly reliant on broadband connectivity. It also found that profits at farms without broadband access fall are nearly 70 percent less than farms with high-speed Internet access.
 
It all comes down to communication and information. Farmers with high-speed Internet can easily check commodities prices online or complete government paperwork electronically. Without broadband, these tasks are less efficient.
 
In addition, advanced GPS technology allows farmers to precisely measure water and fertilizer input. This can reduce costs and increase quality.
 
Unfortunately, the study reveals a particular problem in Missouri, where the state’s 52 percent of farms with high-speed Internet access fall well below the national average of 62 percent.
 
These farmers, along with other businesses and residents in the area, will benefit from our construction of a rural fiber network in Callaway and Boone counties. We want farms to take their operations to the next level and to close the profitability gap that exists between those with broadband and those without.
 
By doing so, farmers can expand their market to a regional, national or even global audience, which will impact Missouri’s impact on the agricultural industry.
 
We think that’s a good thing for farmers and consumers alike. 

We are happy to announce another expansion of our fiber network in Callaway County. Construction has been completed and an additional fiber cabinet has been installed along Highway HH northwest of Fulton.

The addition of this cabinet to our network will now allow us to serve a good deal of the customers within our coverage area north of Highway HH.

The passive fiber cabinet will distribute light across our fiber optic network to and from customers' homes without requiring a power source of any kind. We consider this to be an advantage on our network because it allows us to expand our coverage area without adding new equipment vulnerable to power failures.

We have already been accepting orders in the area, and will now begin scheduling installations for customers in the vicinity. Enter your address to view package options and go-live dates for your area and sign up for fiber services online if eligible.
 
For more information about Socket's Rural Fiber Project, please visit www.socket.net/fiber or give us a call at 1-800-762-5383.

We’re excited to announce the upcoming expansion of our fiber network to California, MO!
  
Our current fiber-to-the-home project in rural Callaway and Boone counties has been a big success. We’re bringing fiber broadband to many homes that have never had access to high-speed services before. It’s been a truly rewarding experience.
  
So we’re eager to expand fiber broadband access to even more Missouri homes and businesses. The California area is a great opportunity to do so.
 
Construction in the area is expected to begin this spring, when crews will begin laying fiber in the area. Customers will start being turned up soon after. We will be using separate contractors and crews from our current project, so customers in the Millersburg and Fulton areas will not see any delays as a result of this new expansion.
 
When the California project is complete, Socket’s fiber network will reach approximately 7,300 homes. Services offered will include high-speed fiber-optic Internet, local telephone service and  television service. These services will be offered both in bundles and a la carte.
 
We’ll soon be determining the boundaries of our service area, planning construction timelines and securing contractors. To stay up-to-date on this and other Socket fiber projects, please follow Socket on this blog, Facebook or Twitter.
 
Thanks for your support!