WELCOME
Thank you for visiting Socket's Fiber Project website. It is filled with information and updates on the construction of fiber-optic broadband services to rural parts of Boone and Callaway County.
Residential prices for fiber broadband Internet and local phone bundles are available starting at $70/mo for speeds of 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, and 30 Mbps. Go to www.socket.net/fiber/plans or call us at 1-800-762-5383 for more information.
Please do not ever hesitate to call us at 1-800-762-5383. Our reps are excited to quickly check your specific location or give you a construction update.
We plan to expand the fiber coverage to reach more people and neighborhoods. If you are outside the current project's territories on the map below, please be sure to call to let us know you are interested in the fiber coming to your area.
Enter your address to see if you are in the fiber coverage area.
2-2-12 - Now scheduling home visits for the northwest part of the fiber coverage area including sections of St. Charles Road, McGuire Lane, Karen Road, Missouri Z, Purdy Lane and North Dozier Station Road. Call us at 800-762-5383 to check your specific address and to get your time slot scheduled! A member of our team will come to your home to conduct a construction survey for your property and talk to you about the installation process and timeline for your specific home.
1-11-12 - FIRST ZONE PROJECT UPDATE: Local construction crews continue to make progress burying fiber optic cabling along roads in western Callaway County and eastern Boone County. Our progress has been slowed by some inclement weather which created soft ground conditions for construction equipment, as well as a few easement issues which have kept us from being able to cross several parcels of property.
If you are worried you might have missed our sign-up specials while construction crews on your road, don’t be. Construction to hook up homes in the first area will begin shortly, and we will give people notice when we are connecting the houses in their neighborhood.
Our goal is to have test customers turned up during the end of January. At that time we will be able to let neighborhoods know which streets in the first zone we will be going down first for connections to homes. We then plan to start installing fiber lines from the road to these houses in February, weather-permitting.
Residential prices for broadband Internet and local phone bundles are now available starting at $70/mo for speeds of 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, and 30 Mbps. You can go online to www.socket.net/fiber/plans or call us at 1-800-762-5383 for more information.
Do you have questions about the project? Please do not hesitate to talk to us at 1-800-762-5383. We are excited to bring fiber technology to your area!
Thank you for your patience and support.
Carson Coffman
President & COO
1-06-12 - Crews now have crossed Highway 63, creating a continuous connection of conduit between Socket's main office and the cabinet on Karen Avenue in Boone County. Crews are also blowing fiber into conduit on St. Charles Road and Clark Lane, as well as burying fiber on roads including St. Charles Road and Highway Z.
12-16-11 - Crews have begun splicing fiber on the project route from Clark Lane to the Millersburg hut. This process connects smaller segments of fiber into one continuous path for information to travel over.
12-02-11 - Crews are currently installing fiber and handholes along Highway J in Callaway County, as well as placing handholes along St. Charles Road in Boone County.
11-22-11 - Check out photos of the construction progress on the Millersburg hut and the dish farm at our headquarters on Socket's Facebook page. (You do not need a Facebook account to view the photos.) Fiber Project Photo Album
11-04-11 - Fiber is being placed in the ground in parts of Boone and Callaway County. The concrete foundation has been poured for the Millersburg hut, and an order has been placed for racks and other interior equipment. Preparations have also begun for construction of the Fulton hut.
10-26-11 - The fiber-optic cabling has been delivered!
10-20-11 - View our fiber fact sheet to learn about fiber technology and why it's ideal for rural residents.
10-19-11 - MEDIA ADVISORY: Groundbreaking Ceremony with Governor Jay Nixon.
10-04-11 - View the latest pictures of the construction project on Socket's Facebook page. (You do not need a Facebook account to view the photos.) Fiber Project Photo Album
9-30-11 - Construction is underway! Miles of conduit piping for fiber optic cabling has been delivered by the truckloads. Construction crews will begin burying the fiber next week.
4-12-11 - Much progress has been made in the planning stage of the project since the announcement. Initial construction surveying has begun to determine exactly where the fiber will be buried. However, at this time, we are waiting for the environmental clearances we need from the federal government to begin construction. When we get environmental clearance, we will be ready to begin placing fiber in the ground.
8-10-10 - Audio clips: Co-owner, Carson Coffman on the newly funded fiber-to-the-home project.
8-9-10 - FACT SHEET: Socket Broadband Stimulus Project
8-9-10 - View a summary of the Socket Rural Utility Services Project.
8-6-10 - View videos and photos from the press conference at Socket with Governor Jay Nixon.
8-6-10 - NEWS RELEASE: Gov. Nixon Announces Federal Grant Awards.
8-6-10 - NEWS RELEASE: Socket Telecom Awarded $23.7 Million in Federal Stimulus Funding to Create a Rural Broadband Network
8-4-10 - View Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's announcement.
8-2-10 - View a list of projects receiving Recovery Act broadband grant awards.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Rosskopf
800-762-5383 x 115
srosskopf@socket.net
What exactly is the Rural Utility Services (RUS) project?
Socket was chosen by the RUS to build a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network to more than 3,000 homes and businesses across Callaway County and parts of Boone County.
What services are going to be provided?
Services available will include high-speed Internet, television, local and long-distance telephone services. The first services available will be Internet and phone bundles - including packages with download speeds of 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, and 30 Mbps. As future technologies mature, we hope to bring tele-medicine, distance learning and home security platforms to our users.
How will the areas in Callaway and Boone County be served?
Residents, businesses, and community anchor institutions in rural eastern Boone County, western-central Callaway county and parts of Fulton, MO.
When will construction begin?
Crews have begun boring holes and burying conduit piping. Next, fiber-optic cable will be placed in the conduit or directly buried into the ground.
Construction will come in several stages:
- First, we will bury the fiber-optic lines and hand-hold boxes along the roadways.
- Next, we will install fiber-optic lines from the road to the homes and businesses.
- And lastly, we will activate the fiber-optic lines with service.
How long will it take?
Construction is expected to be completed in 2012.
What services will be delivered over the fiber-optic network that Socket is building?
Socket will provide access to high-speed Internet, local and long-distance telephone service and television services. The first packages to become available will be broadband + phone bundles. Television services will come at a later date.
Why was this region of the state chosen?
The project area was chosen based on its mix of homes that are unserved or underserved for high-speed Internet.
What are the prices and speed packages?
We looked back at the survey data on what speeds and pricing was attractive to the market and added more speed!
We are excited to start selling and pre-installing fiber to the first construction area very soon. In the meantime, please view the residential speeds and pricing for our Home Phone + Internet bundles at www.socket.net/fiber/plans.
Video and Audio Clips
View video clips from the August 2010 press conference announcing the awarding of funds, as well as listen to audio clips discussing the fiber-to-the-home project.
1-800-762-5383