HULBERT - Lake Region Electric Cooperative is more than just a place that provides electricity to thousands of homes and businesses in the Cherokee County area.
The cooperative also offers security lighting for homes and parking lots, heat pumps and average monthly billing. Now, LREC members can add high-speed Internet to the list.
Stanley Young, LREC's director of marketing, said the cooperative has offered DSL to businesses on a fiber connection for two years in Tahlequah. Dollar Rent-A-Car is about to become the cooperative's third business for DSL, joining the Northeast Oklahoma Community Health Center in Hulbert and Hulbert High School.
"We're going to start offering DSL to residences May 1," he said. "It will be on a broad-band satellite and available to anyone in Northeast Oklahoma."
Young said LREC is charging a $299 connection fee, which pays for the equipment and installation. After that, a $49.95-a-month charge will be assessed for a 512kb connection.
"It's compatible with Southwestern Bell - maybe a little faster," Young said. "We've got about 100 people already signed up."
The LREC Web site, www.lrecok.coop, has the details.
"They can get more information on the website and they can go ahead and sign up there," he said.
Young said the cost for businesses is on a case-by-case basis, depending on the company's needs.
"We evaluate each one individually," he said.
The cooperative has offered security lights for some time to members. A $200 installation fee is followed by a monthly charge of $14.73. Mercury vapor lights are $6.83 a month and are placed on an existing pole. The co-op also offers directional lights for $21.40 a month for parking lots.
For some time, the cooperative has allowed customers to pay bills by credit card in person, such as at the office at Wal-Mart. A few years ago, LREC began taking credit card payments by phone. LREC has been assessing a charge for automated phone transactions, and this year began charging a fee for using a credit card for in-person payments.
The company providing the credit card service, a third party, receives the $3.95 per customer LREC charges when bills are paid by credit card.
"We also have the capability of doing automatic withdrawals from bank accounts at no charge to the customer," Young said. "And we offer budget billing that keeps your bill at the same rate all year until May when it's adjusted to make up any difference."
Young said bills can be paid by phone or on the Web site 24 hours a day.
Learn more
Any LREC member who wants to inquire about DSL or other services can contact Young at 772-2526 ext. 6940, or visit the cooperative's website at www.lrecok.coop.
299 for the Dish
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