Closing the Gap

OEC Fiber works to end the drought in unlikely internet deserts

When making a list about places without access to reliable internet service, the third-largest city in the state probably wouldn’t come to mind. There’s no reason someone living in Norman would have trouble getting internet, right?

It’s actually a pretty common misconception that people who don’t have access to the internet are either in the middle of nowhere or are less tech-savvy, but Jud Ahern, a long-time resident of Norman, proved otherwise.

“We’re only two miles from Sooner Road,” Jud said. “We’re in town. It takes us five to ten minutes to get to [the grocery store].”

He built this home in the mid-80s after relocating to Oklahoma and receiving his graduate degree from Cornell University, then served as a geophysics professor at the University of Oklahoma for 30 years.

“My dad is one of the smartest tech people I’ve ever met,” said his daughter, Kelly Sitzman, Director of Communications and Employee Development for Pioneer Library System, “He built computers back in the ‘70s before they were actually real computers.”

Jud’s background and location make it easy to see he doesn’t fit the usual stereotype associated with not having reliable internet service. He’s highly educated and lives in a well-populated area. So why was getting reliable internet service so difficult?

“It’s the last mile problem,” he said. “Whenever a utility tries to expand out, it becomes less and less profitable as you get out into the hinterlands.” Jud isn’t wrong. Many utility dcompanies aren’t willing to take on the cost of expanding service into less populated sections of town. This creates “service deserts,” an unfortunate phenomenon similar to food deserts, in which residents have little to no access to affordable, good-quality food. Many people who live on the edge of town find themselves similarly unable to access quality internet. “

Equality and equity,” Kelly said. “Everything is online now. It’s a basic right.”

Studies show broadband consumption nearly doubled in the last year, due to the number of people working from home and participating in distance learning. These needs require a fast, reliable connection. Sadly, this is not an option for many people in the state.

Oklahoma is ranked 47 out of 50 states in terms of average speeds available and the percentage of people connected. Nationally, 94% of Americans have access to at least 25 Mbps of download speed and 3 Mbps of upload speed. In Oklahoma, only 79% of residents have this kind of access.

“We originally had a big ugly dish,” Jud said.

Before getting OEC Fiber, he and his family had to manually adjust the dish to find the best signal possible. A cloudy day or stormy weather could render the connection useless.

Even on a bright and sunny day, the most they could hope for was barely enough to look something up on their phones.

“I remember being at [Jud’s] house, and I would be trying to send you a video, or we would be talking and go ‘Oh yeah. What was that again?’ and we would be halted,” Kelly said. “It was an interruption to regular conversations.”

Since getting connected with OEC Fiber, Jud and his family haven’t worried about their internet disrupting the flow of information or how the weather will impact their service. They can continue to engage their natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge without interruption.

“We use our Wi-Fi for looking at things like Google Earth to look at some rock formation in Africa, or just researching things,” Jud said, “It’s great. I tell people we have fiber to the router in our house, and most people don’t know why I think that’s important, but I’ve got a 1000 Mbps line right into the house. To me, that’s pretty cool. It’s fast. It’s reliable, and it’s low cost.”

The addition of OEC Fiber has left a lasting impact on Jud and Kelly. By using the existing electrical network to help provide the backbone for our broadband services, we are uniquely positioned to provide connections where nobody else will.

To learn more about how OEC Fiber can transform your life, visit us online today at www.OECFiber.com.