FAQs

Get answers to all service and technical support questions in one spot.

We have been receiving a lot of interest from East Central Energy members, the media, and the public regarding services from ECE’s new fiber internet venture, ECE Fiber. If your questions aren’t answered below, please contact us at 1-800-254-7944 or [email protected].

In most cases, the fiber will follow the power route—aerial power will have an aerial fiber drop coming to the house and buried power to houses will have an underground fiber drop. There may be scenarios where the power to your home is aerial, and it makes sense to bury the fiber due to obstacles on your property. Every address is surveyed to determine the best drop construction access.

To meet the internet needs of all ECE members, we have a variety of speeds for both residential and business addresses. Visit the Residential and Business pages to view our high-speed options and determine which package description best fits your needs. Keep in mind that if you need to switch to a different speed in the future, changing packages is as easy as giving us a call at 1-800-254-7944!

Yes, we will have a Seasonal Suspend Plan (SSP) for these situations. Things to note about this plan:

In order to participate in the SSP, members must receive and pay for Services for at least 30 days.
Members must receive the SSP for a minimum of 60 days, but no longer than a maximum of 180 days in any 12-month period.
The member will automatically be restored to previous services plan if member has exceeded 180 days within any 12-month period.
While on SSP, download and upload speeds will be reduced to 5 Mbps.
The monthly services fee for billing periods in which the member switches in and out of the SSP will be pro-rated to reflect the difference between the fee for services and the fee for the SSP.
Equipment and other services are billed at regular rate while on SSP.
If Member receives VoIP services, it will remain fully available while Member is on SSP and will be charged at its usual monthly rate.

Wi-Fi router with provided power cords.

Wi-Fi extenders with provided power cords.

Glossary of terms

Broadband: The Federal Communications Commission defines a broadband connection as one with a minimum download speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and a minimum upload speed of 3 Mbps. Note: ECE plans to offer higher speeds than this—see “fiber” below.

Fiber: Fiber is considered the “gold standard” of broadband connections. It is incredibly fast because a glass filament transmits data through light pulses. Fiber can handle a near unlimited amount of data and users. ECE plans to offer a minimum of 100 Mbps.

FTTH: “Fiber to the home,” also called “fiber to the premises” (FTTP), is the installation and use of optical fiber from a central point directly to individual buildings such as residences and businesses to provide high-speed internet access.

Underserved: An area in which households or businesses do receive service at or above the FCC threshold but lack access to wire-line broadband service at speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.

Unserved: An area in which households or businesses lack access to wire-line broadband service at speeds that meet the FCC threshold of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mpbs upload.

Symmetrical: Symmetrical connections are exactly what they sound like: a connection with equal download and upload speeds. (Most DSL and cable internet plans don't offer this; in fact, their download speed can be up to 30 times faster than the upload speed.) When you choose ECE Fiber, rest assured that you can upload as quickly as you download!

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General ECE Fiber questions

Billing questions

Voice Over Internet (Phone) questions

Equipment questions