The story of broadband across the country is told one mile at a time, with hundreds of broadband companies painstakingly building out the capability to connect their customers.

That’s exactly what Coon Valley Farmer's Telephone Co., based in Coon Valley, Wisconsin, has been doing this year – and every year. Founded in 1907, Coon Valley’s history speaks to its commitment to providing the latest in communications technology to its customers. From a single switchboard in the local lumber yard, the company has constantly improved and upgraded: the first magneto service gave way to a complete rebuild in the 1950s; a new dial system in the 1960s; long distance in the 1990s; digital television in the 2000s; and now the move to fiber optic, with a goal of 100% fiber optic by 2025.

Coon Valley posted updates on social media about this year’s project, allowing customers to follow along and cheer their progress. Construction season officially kicked off at the end of March, as the company’s crews prepared to tackle “100 miles of territory in desperate need of bandwidth.” Other updates detailed the company’s work in drilling and plowing cable, including working with the local utility company. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, as construction was stopped by an April snowstorm!

By the end of the summer, Coon Valley had completed all underground operations for the project, covering roughly 80 miles in the rural Bangor and Leon Area. The company spent the fall splicing the remote sites and hand-holes and scheduling installations to provide access to more than 200 customers.