High Speed Internet Coming To Osage County

More options for high speed internet are coming to Osage County thanks to a partnership between Cox Cable and the Indian Electric Cooperative. 

The Indian Electric Cooperative serves about 500 customers in Fairfax, and Cox is using their power lines to bring high speed internet through fiber optic cable.

Fairfax is well known these days for being the setting of "Killers of the Flower Moon," but what it's not known for is great internet connection.

"It's absolutely essential," resident Kay Bills said. 

Kay Bills is a founding member of the friends of Fairfax, a non-profit trying to grow the local economy. The group has plans for an art gallery and office space on Main Street, but would need reliable high speed internet to thrive. 

"And of course we're going to be marketing not just in Fairfax or in Oklahoma or in Osage County but we'll be international with the internet," Bills said.

There are some options in Fairfax for internet already, but Brandi Ball with Indian Electric Cooperative says the company wants to give residents here better access. 

"Our main objective is to serve people," Ball said.

In a partnership with Cox Communications, the internet provider will lease IEC's power lines to bring it's fiber optic internet to Fairfax and other rural communities.

"We thought we already have the infrastructure we'll use our power poles that we already have and we will use that to deliver state of the art broad band services high speed internet to people's homes," Ball said.

In the next few years, high speed internet will be available to IEC's 14,000 customers across seven counties. Cox Oklahoma Vice President Roger Ramseyer says it's clear there is a need for better internet.

"We had reports from people who have been calling us for years and saying, 'when will you come to our community,' and that's a very humbling opportunity to be able to deliver that kind of connectivity that does change their lives," Ramseyer said.  

Kay Bills says as more people get hooked up, her community will benefit. 

"We have all the community pieces here are here and the communications is all gonna tie that together and you're gonna see Fairfax grow," Bills said.

Cox says they are currently reaching out to schools and businesses like the ones here on Main Street to offer them high speed internet. They also plan to have cheaper internet packages for low-income families.