East Central Electric opened its doors on November 1938. Its mission is serving its members and communities through electric service, high-speed internet and local charity and investment.
Thomas Edison patented the electric lightbulb in 1879, yet over 50 years later, America’s rural families were still reading by coal oil lamps.
The businessmen involved in bringing light and power to the major cities, could not foresee any profit in serving the sparsely populated areas of the countryside. So, a grassroots movement sprouted and took their place.
The people petitioned Congress for the creation of the Rural Electrification Act and Administration in 1935. Low interest loans were offered to existing power companies to encourage them to build out to America’s farms and ranches. When the power companies still wouldn’t put rural American interests over profits, neighbors talked to neighbors, community meetings were held, and the people built cooperatives.
On November 15, 1938, the East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative was formed. That next year, the first substation was built near Bald Hill. The co-op grew from one small substation to a 3,000 square mile service area, powered 6,500 miles of electric line connecting 36,000 meters across Creek, Lincoln, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Seminole, Tulsa, and Wagoner counties.
In 2018, members of East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative had a similar realization to the one they had years prior. Internet access, much like electricity access, was not shared equally. Rural communities were being passed over for high-speed internet connection, because big companies could not make a profit. And so, ecoLINK was formed, and in early 2019, construction began to bring fiberoptic internet and phone services to rural homes and businesses. That is the power of Cooperation.
At the present time East Central employees approximately 107 employees with 25 of those having worked at the co-op for more than 20 years. What sets East Central apart from other businesses is it is a co-op model. It does not have customers. It is a member-owner who has a voice and a vote in how the co-op is run. In the next five years, East Central will provide innovative member services to keep power safe, affordable and reliable.