CEO Message - Nov/Dec 2020

It seems like all I have talked about in my CEO messages since March is COVID-19. Unfortunately, this continues to be our reality. As I write this, our lobby remains closed to the public. If you have any landline or Internet needs that Triangle may fulfill, please give us a call. We still have employees here in the office and remote workers who are happy to assist you with your phone and Internet services. Triangle understands the importance of keeping you connected.

It has been a while since I have talked about Triangle’s Fiber to the Home (FTTH) projects. Before we finish this year's upgrades, we are already working on next year's projects. The FTTH projects take a lot of planning. It entails cost estimation of the project, mapping, obtaining right-of-way, staking, putting out bids for contractors and ordering materials before the project even begins. And like any business, this must all be done within a budget. I am happy to report that we are on budget and should be done with this year’s projects on time.

Currently, we have contractors plowing fiber in Whitewater, Reed Point, Stanford and a portion of Big Timber. They are expected to have the plowing completed in these service areas by the end of December. As routes are completed, Triangle is contacting members to schedule their conversion to fiber. If you are on the routes scheduled for this year, please look for a call and a post card.

The good news is, after we finish this year’s projects, we will have 30 of our 39 exchanges completely upgraded to fiber. We still have 5 full exchanges and 4 partial exchanges left to be upgraded. As the year comes to a close, I want to thank all of our employees for putting in the extra effort to achieve what we have accomplished with all of our projects.

To finish this year’s last report, I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Stay safe and healthy!