Cumberland Connect Fiber Construction Will Soon Begin in Your Neighborhood
Cumberland Connect is building a 100% fiber optic network to provide access to reliable, fiber delivered, high-speed Internet, phone & video services to our CEMC members.
Cumberland Connect is locally owned and the broadband subsidiary of Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation. Founded in 2019, Cumberland Connect is designing and engineering a powerful, innovative fiber optic network that once completed, will provide access to high-speed fiber internet, phone, and video services to CEMC members.
Fueled by passion and excitement, all of us at Cumberland Connect are looking forward to serving and investing in your neighborhood with the hopes of improving the lives of its residents through the introduction of high-speed broadband services. We believe it’s time everyone has access to high-speed fiber internet services!
During our project, we will be working to provide access to reliable, high-speed fiber Internet, phone, and video services using an innovative and powerful fiber delivery method. Our belief is that high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, but a utility in today's modern age. We invite you to read more about our “Why” by clicking here.
We believe now, more than ever, that internet connectivity should be considered a utility in today’s world. We truly feel that we will be able to best serve our members because we are locally owned and operated, and we share our communities with our members - Our friends, family, and neighbors.
Visit our website to learn more about Cumberland Connect fiber internet, phone & video services.
Here's what to expect as fiber construction begins in your neighborhood:
Our goal is to provide thorough communication to you and your neighbors during our fiber construction. We have included information below about the fiber construction process and what to expect in the coming weeks when construction takes place in your neighborhood.
Process of Fiber Construction:
Micro-duct Construction
- Your experience matters to us, and our goal is to make your experience the best it can be — during construction and beyond! That's why our team has developed construction methods to make the construction process more efficient and less invasive to your property.
- Our crews will be performing a method called "micro-duct" construction in your neighborhood. This method involves using the existing electrical conduit as a pathway for our fiber lines. This method is much faster and requires less digging than traditional underground fiber construction.
- Cumberland Connect has partnered with BESCO, who will be performing micro-duct fiber construction. During micro-duct construction, our crews will establish a pathway for our fiber lines through CEMC electrical transformer boxes in your neighborhood. After this construction is completed, you will see orange pipe sticking out of the ground near CEMC transformers.
- It is very important that any visible orange pipe remains undisturbed and intact for future fiber construction. Our crews will use this orange conduit to connect homes in your neighborhood to our fiber network when CCFiber service sign-ups open in your area. Please don't cut the orange pipe!
Mainline Fiber Construction
- Cumberland Connect has also partnered with Ervin Cable Construction, who will be performing additional mainline fiber construction. After micro-duct construction is completed in your neighborhood, Ervin Cable Construction (ECC) will prepare to start the preliminaries. Members will see the placement of door hangers a week in advance. They will then notice the utility locate companies placing a water base paint down and some locate flags. The water-based locate paint will disappear in the future.
- Crews will be placing above ground pedestals (12“x15“x18“ or 12“x11“x28“) at most of the existing CEMC transformer locations. We will also be placing small ground-level vaults to accommodate the drops to the home. A “drop” is the process of creating a connection between the mainline fiber line and the member's home. Drops will not be performed at this time and will take place after a member has signed up for CCFiber.
- Crews will restore all properties to as is or better than our arrival, and we will make sure there are no holes or piles of dirt left.
- A note on the weather: While this may cause a delay in completion, crews will not be working in the rain, and depending on how much rain we get, crews might not work the following day in order to let the ground dry before continuing construction.
Fiber Construction Details
- • BESCO crews will complete micro-duct construction in your neighborhood, establishing a pathway using the existing electric transformer boxes. This step typically takes only a day or two to complete.
- • After micro-duct construction is completed in your neighborhood, please be sure to avoid cutting or removing any visible orange pipe left after construction.
- • As our crews prepare to perform mainline construction, ECC will be placing door hangers and calling in locates prior to beginning construction.
- • ECC will place Cumberland Connect/CEMC construction signs when we call in locates.
- • Under Construction Signs will be placed on all entrances to the subdivisions.
- • Mainline fiber construction is projected to begin in your neighborhood within the next couple of weeks.
After fiber construction has been completed, more work — such as fiber splicing and testing — will need to be performed before CCFiber services will be available in your neighborhood.
Want to stay updated on our fiber construction progress & be notified when CCFiber services are available in your area?
Our team is committed to keeping you in the loop every step of the way! Click below to sign up for our monthly email progress updates and when the time comes, we will send you an email the minute CCFiber service sign-ups open in your area. For even more updates, be sure to follow Cumberland Connect on social media at @GetCCFiber.
Precautions We Take During Construction on Your Property
Our crews will be taking the utmost care to ensure that we avoid any disruption to your property. We want our members to have the best experience possible during and beyond our construction, so our crews take every possible precaution and proactive measure to ensure minimal disruptions on your property.
- Our crews will call 811 to locate any utility lines on your property. These include public utility lines for water, electric, and broadband services.
Please note: Cumberland Connect relies on other providers to cooperate with us when locating underground lines. At times, other providers will not locate their lines prior to our construction, which may unfortunately result in lines being temporarily disrupted. Please know that it is our intention to complete our construction with no disruptions to you and your neighbors — if you have any concerns throughout our construction, please email our construction team directly at construction@cumberlandconnect.org.
Your experience during our fiber construction matters to us.
One of our biggest goals is to always ensure that our members feel valued and heard. Our members’ experience during our fiber construction matters to us. If you have any questions or concerns during any stage of our CCFiber construction, please email us directly at construction@cumberlandconnect.org
If you would like to learn more about our Fiber to the Home project, we invite you to visit our website. Please see below for some helpful links:
Do you use SmartHub? If you don't already, we invite you to give it a try! The SmartHub app is another great tool available to our members. SmartHub provides you with account management access wherever you are - giving you another convenient way to manage your account without having to call or head into your local office. With SmartHub, you can do it all right from your computer or mobile device! SmartHub's features include:
• View your account usage and billing for both Electric and Fiber services
• Make payments and modify payment methods
• Report service issues or outages for both Electric and Fiber services
• Receive news and bulletins from CEMC and Cumberland Connect
...And much more!
Our Purpose is: Connecting you to your best life
It is an honor to be serving our communities and we hope that CCFiber makes a positive impact in your neighborhood! If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team. Our Customer Service team can be reached by Live Chat on our website or by calling (800) 987-2362 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm).
Thank you for your patience and support while we work to get your area ready for CCFiber services. We appreciate you and we would be so grateful for the opportunity to serve you when the time comes.
— All of us at Cumberland Connect