Continuing The Mission:

In 1937, HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative was founded by a group of mid-Michigan farmers looking to bring electricity to their rural areas that weren’t served by the state’s large investorowned utilities. Over 85 years later, HomeWorks is repeating that history by delivering HomeWorks Connect highspeed fiber-optic internet to members across the co-op’s service footprint.

“HomeWorks Connect was designed specifically for our electric members, as another way for us to fulfill our mission of providing them with reliable services that enhance their quality of life,” says HomeWorks CEO Chris O’Neill. “Our members enjoy living in rural Michigan, but their lives require access to the same internet speeds and reliability as their big-city brethren. They weren’t getting that before - not even close - so we stepped up to build a network that would deliver for them.”

The co-op broke ground on the construction of the HomeWorks Connect fiber internet network in May 2018, with a commitment to reach all 23,000+ members across the co-op’s 13-county footprint within five years. That goal was achieved when mainline construction of the 2,100-mile network was completed in May 2023. In Canadian Lakes, the service has been available to HomeWorks members since mid-2022. It’s a service HomeWorks CIO Tom Manting says is superior to the broadband offered by many other providers because of the advantages of fiber, which include low latency, highavailability uptime, and high bandwidth with the ability to support more users and more data at higher speeds than other technologies.

“Technology changes, and the bandwidth needs of internet users are increasing every year,” says Manting. “Fiber is unique in that the bandwidth limitations of the fibers are unknown, meaning that the 1Gb offering we have today can easily be upgraded to 10Gb, 100 Gb, or 1,000 Gb tomorrow. Our intent is to ensure that our subscribers can always have the bandwidth they need at an affordable price.”

In the 21st century, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to high-quality broadband can be lifechanging. HomeWorks Connect fiber internet is affording HomeWorks members in Canadian Lakes and beyond countless new opportunities to work and school from home, open small businesses, attend online medical appointments, stay in closer contact with family and friends, eliminate cable bills by streaming tv services, and more.

“I work for software companies with offices all around the world,” says HomeWorks Connect subscriber Kirk Noren. “When I am in an online meeting, my colleagues always ask me about my internet, because it just never drops, and it seems so crisp. And I say, ‘you know what? I live in the middle of nowhere, and I have the fastest internet of any place in the world that I’ve ever lived. Nothing has been as fast as the internet that I have in rural Michigan.’”

HomeWorks Connect subscribers may come for the high speeds and reliability, but they’re often equally as impressed with the customer service they receive. HomeWorks Connect promises no pricing games, so subscribers don’t have to worry about their bills increasing exponentially after a promotional period. The co-op also offers 24/7 tech support, and when customers call, they speak to a local team member on the other end of the line.

“I was pretty impressed when the CIO of the company called me up to answer my question about my modem,” says Noren.

O’Neill says that personal touch is all a part of being served by a local cooperative.

“We’re delivering the speeds and reliability that you would get in the biggest cities in the country, while maintaining the superior level of customer service that you’ve come to expect from your rural electric Cooperative,” says O’Neill. “When you subscribe to HomeWorks Connect, you get the best of both worlds. Plus, as a member of a not-for-profit co-op, you’ll reap the benefits of any margins made by the business, in the form of capital credits. Quality broadband access is a necessity in today’s world, and I am proud to be meeting that need for members in Canadian Lakes and across our entire mid-Michigan footprint.”

If you’d like to learn more about HomeWorks Connect fiber internet service, the co-op is hosting a free broadband open house at Tullymore Golf Resort on July 17, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.