ECE Fiber construction officially begins!

East Central Energy is proud to announce that construction for ECE Fiber started on May 8, 2023. Construction will consist of installing both overhead and underground fiber lines starting in the Dalbo area before moving to Ogilvie, Braham, and Pine City throughout the remainder of the year.

The cooperative first explored providing fiber internet services in 2019 but it wasn’t until November 2021 that the ECE Board of Directors made the decision to move forward with a full fiber-to-the-home project. Since then, the co-op has developed ECE Fiber and is advancing toward bringing reliable internet services to some of the most underserved counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“Our mission is to make sure all ECE members have access to reliable, high-speed internet,” says VP/CIO Ty Houglum. “We take pride in providing energy to both urban and rural members, and we are looking forward to serving our members better by adding high-speed internet to our docket.”

Fiber construction is scheduled to take place over the next five years, covering all of ECE's service territory. Construction plans have been confirmed for 2023 and are in motion until the ground freezes later this year. Moving forward, ECE Fiber will solidify areas each summer to be constructed in the following year and updates will be shared on ecefiber.com.

“The fiber internet that ECE will provide is truly world-class,” mentions Broadband Manager Dennis Rice. “The quality service and internet speeds that members will receive is something other competitors can’t provide at the prices we have.”

ECE members are encouraged to visit ecefiber.com and sign up to express interest in fiber internet services, and to review package tiers and prices. By signing up online, members will be notified as ECE gets closer to building in their area and receive updates via email.