Bulloch Telephone Cooperative was established in 1954 and is the only locally owned Telecommunications Company in Bulloch County.
        With the demand for internet services continuing to explode, Bulloch Telephone has made a significant investment to make the latest technology available to their customers in the county and to many businesses in the city.
        In 2004, the management and directors at Bulloch Telephone were faced with a decision concerning how to best serve the looming data appetite of their members. They were set to make a decision on how best to future-proof their network. Investment in a total fiber network seemed to be the logical choice.
        After doing an assessment of technologies available, Bulloch Telephone chose to go with the fiber-to-the-home/business model. They began the fiber overbuild of their network in 2004. Due to the cost of the fiber upgrade, they developed a systematic plan for managing the deployment based on a "pay as we go approach."
        The board of directors and management also made a decision that, being a cooperative, they would provide the new technology to all members. Bulloch Telephone would serve those subscribers in the subdivisions and towns, as well as, those in the most remote areas of the county. Seven years later, in 2011, Bulloch Telephone had plowed in over 2,000 miles of fiber optic cable in Bulloch County and had converted 99 percent of their members to fiber. In doing this, Bulloch Telephone was one of the first telephone companies in the nation to operate completely on a fiber to the home/business network. In addition, they built the entire network underground which greatly enhances reliability, especially in severe weather.
        During the fiber build, they added video to their list of services and as members converted to the fiber facility, they were able to access cable television services provided by the Cooperative. They currently serve more than 2,500 cable customers.
        After serving all of the cooperative members in the county with fiber optic facilities, Bulloch Telephone began listening to the growing request in the Statesboro business community for more access to a fiber network. In 2012, Bulloch Telephone filed for and received a CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) license so that they could begin serving customers in the Statesboro market.
        To date, Bulloch Telephone has buried 27 miles of fiber in the city of Statesboro and serves 55 businesses. They continue to increase their presence in the area by adding new fiber lines. Their fiber network passes 393 businesses in the city currently and will pass another 68 by yearend.
        Because they are still building out their fiber network in the city, it is not available in all areas. Call Bulloch Telephone Cooperative at (912) 865-1100 to see if their fiber optic service is available.