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Company Officials Expect Phase 1 Construction Completed By End of September
RISON – C&L Broadband Connect is expected to have construction on its first phase of fiber optic internet service into Cleveland County completed by the end of September, company officials said last week.David Vondran, the CEO of the the C&L Electric Cooperative and its new affiliated internet service called C&L Broadband Connect, discussed the company’s broadband initiative as well as the electric cooperative during a presentation before the Cleveland County Republican Party last Tuesday at the Hall-Morgan Veterans Building in Rison.Vondran said C&L Electric began offering fiber optic internet service to homes in February, initially offering the service around the cooperative’s headquarters in Star City. C&L has been expanding the service ever since then, and began connecting customers in eastern Cleveland County in July. The service is now available across northern portions of the county as well.”This is one of the largest needs in Arkansas,” Vondran said, referring yo the lack of high-speed internet service in rural areas.”We can’t get it out fast enough, we know that,” he added.C&L Broadband Connect offers speeds ranging from 300 megabytes per second (mbps) for the base plan to 2.5 gigabytes per second (2,500 mbps) for the Ultimate++ plan. The prices for the packages are $64.99 for the 300 mbps base plan, $79.99 for the 600 mbps premium plan, $99.99 for the 1.2 gigabyte Ultimate+ plan, and $149.99 for the 2.5 gigabyte Ultimate++ plan. There is a $100 installation fee for the base plan but no installation fee for the other plans. Vondran said response has been strong so far, and they have brought in extra crews to help connect people to the new service. He said they have been connecting about eight customers per day. In the past, the fastest hardwired internet service in Cleveland County was provided through DSL (digital subscriber line), which uses existing copper telephone lines to carry the signal. …