2024: A Year of Growth and Innovation for West Carolina

Innovations in Streaming Education 

The year 2024 marked tremendous progress and innovation at West Carolina, starting with the launch of streaming education initiatives. Virtual classes empowered customers to navigate TV rate increases and explore affordable streaming alternatives. Recognizing diverse needs, we introduced the Streaming Care program, providing in-home technical support to simplify streaming setup.  

Expanding Connectivity in Underserved Areas 

A $32 million federal grant enabled our expansion into Pickens and Anderson, where we will pass 10,000 addresses by the end of 2025. This endeavor allows us to continue our goal of bridging the digital divide for underserved areas.  

A Unified Brand Identity  

We proudly unified our brand under the name West Carolina, seamlessly integrating our cooperative and expansion areas into one identity that honors our legacy while embracing future growth. We celebrated this milestone with Back-to-School Brand Bash events across all offices, distributing school supplies and Saxon’s Hot Dogs to enhance our community engagement.  

50K Internet Customers  

Another major achievement followed as we reached 50,000 internet customers. This milestone underscores our dedication to bringing high-speed internet to rural areas.  

Responding to Hurricane Helene 

September brought unexpected circumstances with Hurricane Helene. Our buried fiber infrastructure demonstrated remarkable resilience. Our team managed over 3,000 additional customer service calls, 2,500 storm-related tickets, and 8,000 calls to our Network Operations Center. Repairs included 100 fiber drops, 150 emergency locates, 15 pedestal repairs, and 5 cable repairs. Critical facilities such as Self Regional Hospital, Fujifilm Plant, and Anderson County E911 were swiftly connected to our service.  

Holiday Season Giving Back  

The holiday season showcased our commitment to giving back with our annual Give Big, Get Gig campaign, collecting food donations at all locations, including our new Upcountry Fiber Seneca office. We also hosted cybersecurity classes to educate our customers on online safety and scam prevention during the holidays and beyond.  

Community Engagement and Philanthropy  

Community involvement remained at the heart of our mission. Nearly $60,000 was contributed to local sponsorships, while the West Carolina Community Foundation, supported by employee donations and company matches, distributed $38,500 to nonprofits. Employees actively participated in volunteer programs such as Abbeville Meals on Wheels, Angel Tree, Country Santa, Reading Buddies at local schools, and more. The Casual for a Cause program enabled employees to purchase branded t-shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Employee Advisor Fund.  

As we look ahead, West Carolina remains committed to innovation, community support, and bridging the digital divide for a brighter future.