Cox leases co-op fiber to connect rural Oklahoma

Fairfax (OK) will be the first town to be connected to the internet by Cox Communications on a fiber network leased from a local power provider. Indian Electric Cooperative (IEC) CEO Todd Schroeder said service should be available by the end of 2023. In addition to multi-gigabit, symmetrical broadband, Cox will offer its Contour TV product, as well as mobile phone service through Cox Mobile. IEC members will pay the same prices customers pay for the equivalent Cox services in Tulsa and other parts of Oklahoma. Schroeder said each time Cox signs up a new customer in IEC territory, IEC will get a share of the revenue. In addition, Cox is paying IEC to maintain the IEC fiber. IEC is the first co-op from which Cox has leased a fiber network, but the broadband provider hopes it will not be the last.