Announcing the 2024 Broadband Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2024 Broadband Award Winners, who we recognize for their outstanding achievements. Across our customer base, providers go above and beyond in their service to their communities and we are excited to celebrate them all.
The awards were presented at eLation eLevate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Read on to learn more about each awardee.
Customer Success Award: Syntrio
The Customer Success Award highlights a service provider that is devoted to the subscriber experience with excellent NPS or CSAT scores. Today’s recipient understands the benefits of customer communication and engagement across the customer journey as they strive to exceed the needs of their constituents.
Syntrio utilizes a hands-on approach, combined with a consistent and impactful presence (through face-to-face interactions, social media, email, print) in the Texas communities they serve. They have seen tremendous success with E-Bill and have over half of their customers participating in automatic payments. Syntrio’s Customer satisfaction surveys show 93.1% of new customers are highly satisfied with the onboarding process. Syntrio’s current NPS is 76 and showcases that their customers are raving fans.
Fiber Milestone Award: Toledo Tel
The Fiber Milestone Award celebrates a Broadband Service Provider’s expansion and growth efforts. This award goes to a company that focuses on providing fiber to the business, and fiber to the home. The Fiber Milestone Award recognizes the effort behind navigating difficult builds, while continuing to provide outstanding service.
In 2021, ToledoTel teamed with Lewis County in Washington state’s first public/private broadband partnership and was awarded a $25 million grant to fund the overbuild in and around the City of Winlock. The project is currently underway and will provide fiber-optic access to more than 2,100 homes within a 240-square-mile area. The project will be completed in 2025. Prior to this project, ToledoTel finished the installation of fiber to all the business locations within the City of Winlock in 2009.
Closing the Digital Divide: United Communications
The award for Closing the Digital Divide is given to a provider who has demonstrated a commitment to access, education, and affordability. Closing the digital divide underscores that the tough work behind providing connectivity to all stems from partnerships with Electric Cooperatives, State Broadband Offices, and local government.
United Communications began an initiative in 2020, called Project UNITE to help bridge the digital divide for the one million Tennessee residents without broadband access. Project Unite has helped provide access to the unserved and underserved by partnering with utility companies and community leaders.
To date, Project UNITE has invested more than $180 million to bring broadband connections to 35,000 passings. Project Unite provides free broadband service to volunteer fire departments, income-qualified residents and a local boys and girls club. Since 2010 The United Community foundation has awarded $55,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors.
Community Champion Award: Blue Valley Technologies
The Community Champion Award highlights a provider that lives and breathes community. These champions of their communities are committed to outreach, giving back, and making their communities stronger. The community champion award recognizes a service provider that goes above and beyond to make their communities a better place.
Blue Valley Technologies orchestrates an annual Giving Tree to help local children and families in surrounding counties. They have given to those in need for the past 27 years.
Local community members can select a card at the BVT Home Office or at a partnering business. Cards detail a local child’s needs/wishes along with bases family needs (such as pantry items, toiletries, etc). In 2023, their generous donors helped 146 families and 442 children through the Blue Valley Technologies Giving Tree.
Customer Adoption: SC Telcom
The Customer Adoption Award is for providers that seek to ensure their subscribers are well educated on their service. These providers understand the difficult task of multi-generational marketing and communication to ensure that their customers are informed about their options, understand the latest technology offerings, and provide them with tips and tricks for making things easier.
SC Telcom offered in-person demonstrations to educate Kansas residents on their SmartTown offerings, making the transition smoother. SC Telcom’s customer reviews highlight their dedication in explaining their services and communication with customers, and their great ability to educate these subscribers on their new services and apps. For their latest rural fiber expansion, SC Telcom combined the reach of social media and online advertising with a grassroots effort. Given the rural nature of the area and the prevalence of PO Boxes, they prioritized in-person visits to directly engage with potential customers.
Marketing Excellence: Jade Communications
The Marketing Excellence Award is given to a provider that stands apart from their competitors through marketing campaigns, leveraging social media, and communicating product or service launches effectively. This award recognizes providers that are consistently striving for new and innovative ways to message to their communities. They are throwing out the rulebook and attempting to push boundaries to create lasting impressions and differentiate their brand.
When the opportunity arose to add some flair to Alamosa’s business district, Jade was one of the first organizations to raise their hand to take on the task of designing, fundraising and executing a large-scale mural for the community.
The hashtag #AlamosaAdventurer has become a local and social media sensation, with an army of proud residents and tourists alike spreading the word about Jade. This organic marketing has allowed Jade to connect with new audiences far beyond their footprint, turning their community into their biggest brand ambassadors. This community-driven approach is central to everything Jade does. They strive to create experiences that resonate with the people they serve.
Fiber For Good: Twin Valley
The Fiber for Good Award goes to a provider that has focused on improving digital inclusion for their community. Fiber for Good is a new award in 2024, highlighting the service provider that strives for an amazing subscriber experience, while keeping affordability at the forefront to ensure every subscriber has access.
Twin Valley addresses the two elements of digital inclusion, a robust broadband network coupled with affordability. Twin Valley is the largest family-owned broadband and communications company in Kansas, serving rural customers for more than 80 years. Twin Valley is on track to bring fiber to an additional 20,000 homes and businesses in the state over the next year. The company is deploying next generation fixed wireless technology in rural areas where fiber construction is cost-prohibitive, replacing limited bandwidth and low reliability copper infrastructure.
Hometown Hero: Premier Communications
The Hometown Hero Award was created this year for an organization that dives into action for their local residents. This recipient’s staff have gone to truly extraordinary measures to serve, help, and provide aid in a time of need for their community this year.
In June, Northwest Iowa experienced flooding that devastated several communities that Premier serves. Flash floods allowed only a few minutes for people to evacuate their homes, affecting hundreds of customers and Premier employees. Premier’s technicians and outside plant staff sandbagged their numerous Central locations to keep water away from their core infrastructure.
Premier technician, Aaron Howing, and his brother, Drew hopped in their boat and rescued over 30 people from the roofs of homes. Fox news covered this amazing hometown rescue.
Many Premier employees spent countless hours volunteering to help with cleanup and recovery efforts in surrounding communities. Premier staff were impacted on a personal level, as some lost their homes, vehicles and belongings. Members of the Premier Team assisted their fellow employees in cleaning out homes, removing debris and sheetrock, and donating gift cards and other necessities.
