Bascom Communications still investing

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Since the economic recession began, people have witnessed layoffs and the closing of businesses, but Bascom Communications still is investing.

The company's latest investment is the acquirement of a licensed 700 MHz spectrum, which allows it to provide fixed wireless broadband service to areas that otherwise would not get it.

"We are able to offer a local provider who is aware of the area's needs," said Nate Brickner, an information systems administrator at Bascom Communications.

Bright.net Bascom, a subsidiary of the Bascom Mutual Telephone Co., has been providing Internet access since the mid-1990s. In 2001, BrightWireless was formed to provide fixed high-speed broadband access. This process used unlicensed spectrum, which has increased in use over the years.

"Unlicensed spectrum is something that anyone can use, so everybody is using it," Brickner said. "Everyone's stepping on each other and causing a lot of dependability issues."

With the purchase of a licensed 700 MHz spectrum, Brickner said dependability and coverage would increase, especially because they bought a four-county area.

Bascom Communications holds the license for Seneca, Sandusky, Erie and Huron counties, but currently only has a deployment in Seneca. It is in the process of getting the plans around to deploy the BrightWireless service into those other areas.

"We started in the rural areas, and we continue to focus on rural areas because they don't have other options," Brickner said. "Investing in this spectrum allows us to offer higher-end technologies to customers who normally don't have those options."

Brickner said that especially with the slumping economy, it is time to invest in people and infrastructure, to make the most out of this situation. This will position people to have an advantage when the economy turns around.

"We try to do what the Connect Ohio initiative does on our own, which is to offer service to everyone at the best of our ability," Brickner said.

Being a local cooperative helps this cause because it can bypass stockholders and major corporations, who focus more on profit than people, he added. Each person who has telephone, cable or wired high-speed Internet is a member of Bascom Communications, and therefore, treated equally.

"Money gets recycled right back into more technology for the customer and not in someone's portfolio," Brickner said. "All of our people are accountable to our customers and in return, they know what and who they are getting."

He said Bascom Communications will continue to expand its technology and coverage areas to provide service to more people.

"We will continue to find the latest and greatest technologies to offer to our customers, giving especially rural areas the chance to explore technology they have never had," Brickner said.