The POWER of Connection
A visual history of the Oklahoma Electric Cooperative and OEC Fiber.
Life before electricity
Life before electricity was marked by significant hardships and challenges for families. Daily routines were governed by the sun’s natural light, which meant early risers and early retirees to bed.
The absence of electric lighting required families to rely on candles, oil lamps and fireplaces for illumination, which were not only dim but posed fire hazards. Cooking and heating homes depended on wood or coal-burning stoves, requiring constant attention to maintain fires and manage fuel supplies.
Without electric refrigerators, food preservation was a constant struggle, leading to frequent trips to local markets or reliance on salt and other preservation methods. Laundry was a labor-intensive process involving manual scrubbing, boiling water and wringing clothes by hand.
Overall, the lack of electricity imposed a physically demanding lifestyle that required careful planning and resourcefulness to manage everyday tasks.
Power to rural America
In 1936, at the request of congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed executive order 7037, establishing the Rural Electrification Act.
The REA would act as a bank and provide government loans for responsible electric organizations willing to extend their power lines into rural America.
Even with these loans in place, many investor-owned utilities still refused to bring electricity to farms and the places that needed it most. In the more populated areas where electricity was available, the price was typically out of reach for many homesteads.
Central Oklahoma farmers from Norman, Noble and the surrounding areas banded together to form the Oklahoma Inter-County Electric Cooperative, a member-owned cooperative to build their own means of electrifying rural Oklahoman farms.
Oklahoma farmers took action
At this point, investor-owned electricity had been available in Oklahoma for 30 years; however, it was only available in major cities and very cost-prohibitive.
Even with the backing of federal loans, these private companies didn’t want to extend their lines into rural Oklahoma, leaving many farmers in the dark.
In July 1936, area farmers banded together to form an ad hoc committee aimed at forming an electric cooperative in Norman. Led by E.E. Hardin (OEC’s first president), the group needed community membership (3 members per mile of proposed line) in order to secure REA funds.
This led to a wide canvassing effort, which proved successful. On October 1st, 1936, the group submitted their application for an REA loan, and on January 30th, the Oklahoma Inter-County Electric Cooperative was born.
A light in the dark
Initial electric grid construction began in May 1938 with 38 initial members.
At the home of President E.E.Hardin, west of Norman, the first light bulb in central Oklahoma was lit at a “turning on” party. Shortly after, the cooperative changed their name to the Oklahoma Electric Cooperative.
With a $5 membership fee, members could apply to have electricity run to their farms. Many farmers at the time were skeptical of electricity, but once they discovered its many benefits, they were very thankful to OEC for bringing light and electronic appliances into their lives.
Representatives from 9 Oklahoma cooperatives (OEC included) met at the Biltmore Hotel to discuss power generation in Oklahoma City. They would ultimately form the Western Farmers Electric Cooperative who we receive power from still today.
With electric cooperatives popping up all over the country, a national organization of electric cooperatives was founded in Washington, D.C., known as the NRECA, or National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. This organization was formed to better communicate electric cooperative-related issues directly with Congress.
Education from the outset
Electricity improved every aspect of life. House chores could finally be done at night, school children could more easily work on homework and food could be stored for much longer and not need a constant supply of ice blocks. Even ironing was easier without the need for a dangerous gas-powered iron (yes, that was a thing).
With all of these great innovations in daily life, OEC made it part of our mission to educate the public on the wonders of electricity. An “electric circus” was created that could be brought out to rural communities to showcase various appliances. This would ultimately become a showroom in OEC’s downtown Norman office where members could learn about and experience new appliances and purchase upgrades for their homes.
As expansion continued throughout central Oklahoma, OEC realized the need for a new headquarters, opening a new office building on East Grey Street. The total cost of this new building was $75,000.
In April of 1950, the last un-electrified farm in the OEC service territory was lit.
Building a legacy of service
The genesis of OEC Fiber
When it comes to high-speed internet in the 21st century, access is essential. Just like in 1937, members of OEC banded together in a grassroots effort to ask the cooperative to provide this essential service. Like the investor-owned utilities of the 1930s, for-profit internet providers weren’t providing access in rural Oklahoma. OEC was uniquely able to fill this need.
In January 2017, OEC leadership met with a project management group known as Conexon to launch a fiber-to-the-home feasibility study. On May 2, 2017, the OEC board approved that study and officially voted to pursue fiber internet.
On August 22, 2017, the board met again to officially launch OEC Fiber, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oklahoma Electric Cooperative. At this time, OEC began hiring the first fiber-dedicated employees and began taking the first steps toward building a 100% fiber network.
Growing at the speed of fiber
Just like in 1936, our mission was to reach the unserved and underserved of rural Oklahoma with high-speed fiber services.
We hit the ground running with our pilot zones in January of 2019 with service officially launching in February 2019. Our growth was exponential and we had our first 5,000 subscribers before the end of the year. The fast adoption rate of fiber subscribers showed just how ready rural Oklahoma and OEC members were for high-speed fiber services.
By March 2020, our subscribers asked for more. We delivered two new service offerings in addition to high-speed internet: TV and phone.
Even through a pandemic, our build out didn’t slow down. Through 2020, we averaged 1,000 new subscribers each month. This made us the fastest growing cooperative offering fiber-to-the-home in the nation.
Benefits beyond high-speed internet
System Hardening
In mid 2016, OEC began a 15-year project known as system hardening. With the goal of minimizing outage times for members and reducing the number of trips trucks have to make, OEC teams began upgrading hardware and optimizing processes across the grid.
Part of this system hardening helped to prepare our poles for OEC’s next big venture, fiber broadband.
Adaptively Controlled Grid
With the introduction of high-speed fiber and the modernizations from the system hardening project, OEC and OEC Fiber realized the potential for a major technological advancement. A self-healing adaptive electric grid known as ACES.
Pioneered by OEC engineers, the Adaptively Controlled Electric System (or ACES) involves a network of automation controllers and reclosers that can detect potential outages and reroute power in the blink of an eye. With this powerful system in place, we’ve seen our already low outage times drop by nearly 70%.
This advancement in technology wouldn’t have been possible without the combined efforts of OEC and OEC Fiber.
Rising above expectations
Carrying on the traditions of our cooperative, OEC Fiber has been relentlessly serving its subscribers with cutting-edge broadband service while never compromising on customer service.
Our subscribers and members are at the core of what we do every day, and it shows. Every year, OEC and OEC Fiber win multiple awards for customer service, reliability and, most recently, digital inclusion for our comprehensive subscriber support and education.
From Power Lines To Online, OEC and OEC Fiber are Revolutionizing Service
OEC and OEC Fiber are committed to providing the excellent service you’ve come to expect for over 80 years. Our mission has been to improve the quality of life of our members and subscribers through the industry-leading services we offer.
Learn more about the services we offer
