Connect phone customers receive CPNI materials

SVEConnect and WEPG The River partner to create local channel

SVEConnect, fiber-optic internet, television programming and telephone service provider powered by Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and radio, television station WEPG The River have partnered to create a local programming channel for the Marion County area, available to all Connect TV subscribers.

Connect channel 4 was launched Friday, November 19, 2021 and will feature the popular morning show Joey’s Place at 7:30 a.m. followed by The Morning Show that includes the long-running program Swap ‘n Shop. Connect channel 4 will also feature televised city meetings, county meetings, church programs, local ballgames (radio only) and country and gospel music. Connect channel 4 is available in the Bronze tier channel line-up, which is included in the Silver and Gold Connect TV packages.

WEPG, a South Pittsburg based radio station, first hit local AM airways in 1954. It was September 2018 that WEPG added “The River” and converted to an FM station.  Since March 2015 the station has been owned and managed by Travis Hickman, who got his start in radio at the station in 1982.

“Partnering with SVEConnect to reach our viewers and listeners is a win-win for us and all of Marion County,” says Hickman. “We are excited for this new venture and look forward to reaching the Connect audience.”

SVEConnect, a fiber-optic internet, television programming and telephone service company was formed by Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative in March 2018. In September that year SVEConnect began connecting customers in Marion County, the only area the broadband company can serve. In November 2021, SVEConnect connected its 5,000th customer. 

“SVEConnect is committed to our local communities, people and culture,” says President/CEO Mike Partin. “By partnering with WEPG The River to provide local programming with Connect channel 4, we are bringing home the news, music and programming our customers, and WEPG listeners, want to see and hear.”

ESPN Classic Network to Shut Down

Connect TV subscribers, the ESPN Classic network will no longer be available as of January 1, 2022. Disney, the owner of ESPN networks, plans to shut down ESPN Classic, including the On-Demand service. ESPN Classic joins NBCSN as the second all-sports TV channel that will go dark at the end of the year.

ESPN has been deemphasizing ESPN Classic for much of the past decade, allowing distributors to drop or put the channel on a tier to make room for college channels like SEC Network, ACC Network and Longhorn Network.

SVEConnect celebrates connecting 5,000 customers

The SVEConnect family is celebrating connecting 5,000 customers in Marion County! Much appreciation is sent to all 5,000 connected for helping us reach such a major milestone. SVEConnect has come a long way since our origin and because of the support of Marion County, we are able to continue that growth.

“SVEConnect was created for our rural members as an investment in our future,” said SVEC President/CEO Mike Partin. “It is a very proud moment for us as we top 5,000 customers served. We thank our customers, appreciate each one and will continue to serve with honest, friendly service and provide reliable, fiber-fast internet to all customers.”

In 2017 Tennessee Legislature passed the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act, making it legal for electric cooperatives in the state to offer telecommunications services, such as broadband, to areas not already served by a telephone cooperative. Soon after, Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative sought to take on that task to bring telecommunication services to Marion County, the only area within SVEC’s service footprint available for a new fiber network, and SVEConnect, a not-for-profit broadband company, was born.

What could have been a daunting and long task of creating a plan, assembling teams, mapping, and all other components that goes into bringing fiber to a rural area, was finished by the SVEConnect team in less than a year.

“We went from zero to testing new customers in less than seven months,” says Manager of Ancillary Services Mike Birdwell. “We were the first electric co-op in the state of Tennessee to connect a customer, that is something we are very proud of and we could not have done without the support of our community.”

Part of the SVEConnect mission is to provide broadband to rural areas that have no access to high-speed internet – areas that profit-seeking companies will not serve because they do not see the value.

“What I love about my job is being able to help folks that nobody else was willing to help,” says Birdwell. “Going to an area you know will never ever have high speed broadband if we do not build it and providing it to them is so meaningful.”

With the constant growth and change of technology in the digital age and new challenges of communicating, working, and attending school from home during a pandemic, high-speed internet and a reliable connection is essential to the common household. Living in a rural area should not mean homes and businesses do not have broadband access as those in larger cities enjoy.

“It is not fair that you would have to move off the family farm just to have broadband to work from home or go to school,” says Mike Birdwell. “We feel lucky to provide this service to our great community.”

As SVEConnect continues to grow, the essential service of high-speed, reliable fiber-optics we will be a driving force in bringing more developments and jobs to Marion County.

Free Preview of HBO & Cinemax

Connect TV subscribers, enjoy 7 days of free HBO and Cinemax over your Thanksgiving break! Tune in to channels 500-521 from Tuesday, November 23rd through Monday, November 29th for the preview. To add HBO or Cinemax to your Connect TV subscription, call 423-837-8605 or send us a message.

Connect phone customers receive CPNI materials

SVEConnect recently mailed Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) packets to all Connect phone customers.

As a User of Connect telephone services, you have the right, and we have a duty under federal law, to protect the confidentiality of certain types of telephone related services.

If you are a Connect phone customer, please read the mailed CPNI Policy, complete the CPNI Password Form and return to SVEConnect in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope.

We at SVEConnect value your business and are committed to protecting your sensitive information. If you have any questions about CPNI or any SVEConnect services, please call us Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at 423-837-8605.

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