Sooner than you might think! Pea River Electric Co-op members are first in line to receive fiber internet services during year one of our buildouts. Check out our Service Areas map to find out when your area will be connected.

Bringing broadband to all unserved and underserved rural communities in our service territory will take years to complete. While we wish we could connect homes in a straight line, many variables prevent us from doing so. As we begin offering service in new areas, you may notice that one neighborhood is connected while a nearby community is still months away from receiving service. Here are just a few reasons why:

• There are engineering barriers. Fiber cables contain 144 strands of glass that we must cut and splice by hand so that each home can receive its dedicated strand. Fiber Internet service is delivered by light waves traveling down each strand. The light can only travel so far before the integrity of services is affected. So we must follow strategic connection plans that roadways and power lines may impact.  

• Grant money is allocated to specific projects long before it is awarded to recipients. Some of our most underserved communities will not be connected until the second or third year of our buildouts because grant money allocated to serve these communities has not yet been awarded, and no services can be provided for these areas until the award has been issued. Our number one goal is to connect as many members as quickly as possible, but it is unavoidable that some communities will receive services before other nearby regions. 

• We are a small team of real people. We ask that you grant us a little grace as we work each day to bring you the high-speed Internet service we know you need. We want nothing more than to provide you with a better connection as soon as possible, and we have all hands on deck to get the job done.
   

Pre-register your address to be notified when service becomes available in your area. Pre-registration is not binding and will not obligate you to make a purchase.

FREE. Our goal is to provide affordable, reliable high-speed Internet connectivity to as many people as possible. We will install your service for no additional charge.

FREE. Each broadband subscriber will receive top-of-the-line Wi-Fi equipment at no additional cost. This means your monthly broadband bill will only include the cost of your service, nothing more. However, if you choose to enhance your Wi-Fi coverage with Wi-Fi extenders or outdoor equipment, additional fees will apply. 

Everything you need to get a high-speed fiber Internet connection at home! In all, there will be three pieces of equipment installed at your address:

1. A Network Interface Device (NID)
2. An Optical Network Terminal (ONT)
3. A gateway

When the installation technicians arrive at your home, one of the first things they'll do is install a NID to the outside of your home. The NID contains a splice from the service drop to the smaller fiber optic cable that will run through your walls, subfloor, or attic space, depending on your home and where you would like the gateway to live inside the house.

The ONT and the wireless gateway will be installed inside the home. The ONT is a small device that converts your Internet connection from fiber to ethernet. The gateway is the equipment that supplies the devices in your home with Internet access. The gateway has ethernet ports for devices that require a wired Internet connection, and it also provides Wi-Fi connectivity for devices that require Wi-Fi. 

We recommend placing the gateway in a centralized location for the best Wi-Fi experience. The installation technicians may recommend Wi-Fi Extenders if your home requires extra Wi-Fi coverage. These are additional Internet access points that help expand the reach of your Wi-Fi signal, and they have added ethernet ports for devices that require a wired Internet connection. Enhancing your Wi-Fi coverage with extenders will require a small additional cost that varies slightly depending on your Internet speed.

Yes, but you won’t be able to benefit from the exclusive features included in your monthly subscription. 

For instance, those who subscribe to our 1GB and 2GB plans have free access to IQ Suite add-on services which are only compatible with Pea River Broadband equipment. Those who subscribe to the 300 Mbps plan also have access to exclusive mobile app features which are not compatible with after-market equipment. 

Also, not all equipment can deliver the Internet speeds Pea River Broadband offers. We lease compatible Wi-Fi equipment to all subscribers at no additional cost to ensure each household has the best experience possible.

We encourage you to try our service using the free equipment included in your subscription. If you decide to return our equipment and use your own, you can do so at any time with no penalty.
 

The price you see for Internet Plans is what you will pay -- no added taxes or fees. However, voice services will be subject to taxes and state-regulated fees. Bundle plans that include Internet and voice service will be billed under separate account numbers, and taxes and fees will only apply to the voice service.

Yes! Fiber broadband is the only Internet connection that provides symmetrical upload and download speeds. In case you're wondering what that means, here's a quick explanation: 

• Download Speed: How fast you can access things on the Internet. The faster your download speed, the less buffering and lag time you'll experience when streaming movies or gaming online.
• Upload speed: How fast you can put things on the Internet. Faster upload speed means posting full-sized images on social media and uploading videos to YouTube takes less time. 

This depends on how electricity is delivered to your location. The fiber cables will follow the path of your existing power lines.

In-home installation appointments are scheduled in 4-hour windows. You can choose a morning or afternoon appointment window when you speak with our installation coordinator. The installation technicians will arrive at your home and complete your installation within the 4-hour window. An adult over age 18 must be present for the entire appointment window.

Your fiber installation will follow the path of your power connection as closely as possible. This means that if your power comes in from an overhead line, so will your fiber. If your power comes in from an underground line, your fiber will, too. There are a few differences between overhead fiber installs and underground fiber installs.

Overhead Installs:

The overhead drop and in-home equipment are both installed in the same visit. These installs can usually be completed in one 4-hour appointment window. Overhead install appointments can typically be scheduled 1-2 weeks out.

Underground Installs:

The overhead drop, underground drop, and in-home installation are installed in 3 separate visits. You do not need to be home for either drop, just the in-home portion of the installation. We coordinate with Alabama 811 to identify any public utility lines before we dig, and we ask you to mark any lines you buried independently. Underground installations take 3-6 weeks to complete, due to the complex and delicate nature of the work. 

We may be required to trim tree limbs that hang in the path of fiber cables.

Internet and phone services will not affect your electric rates. Electric members will receive one billing statement with a unique account number for each applicable service.

The simple answer is yes, but we will happily stagger the due dates for Internet subscribers who prefer to have separate dates for broadband and electricity. Please remember that this will require Pea River to generate two separate billing statements instead of one combined statement. For members who prefer to receive their bill by mail, there will be a $2 charge for mailing the additional statement. Members who receive electronic billing will not be subject to the paper billing charge. 

Yes! You can add Residential Voice (home phone) service to any internet package for an additional $29.95/month. Residential Voice is also available without internet service for $59.95/month. Explore Residential Plans here.

We are still on a mission to power and empower our communities – a task that began 85 years ago when we brought electricity to rural Barbour, Dale, and Henry Counties.

Now, there is a “digital divide” between communities with reliable internet access and those without, putting the latter at a significant disadvantage. We’re doing our part to close that divide by providing reliable, affordable internet to our members.

Broadband is high-speed internet access that is always on and faster than dial-up access. Broadband includes several high-speed transmission technologies, such as fiber, wireless, satellite, digital subscriber line (DSL), and cable.

Fiber broadband is delivered to your location via fiber optic cables. These cables contain more than 100 fibers of hair-thin strands of glass that carry large amounts of electronic data as waves of light travel down the fibers.

Because of its glass infrastructure, fiber is typically much faster than DSL and cable connections and more reliable than line-of-sight services such as wireless or satellite connections.

Visit the Business Plans page to learn how Pea River Broadband can help boost your organization's productivity. If you have any business questions, please register* your address for fiber internet services.

Business Development Specialist Rick Roberts reviews the business pre-registration list daily and will respond to your question within 1-2 business days.

*Registration does not obligate you to make a purchase.

The FCC discontinued the ACP in April 2024 due to a lack of funding from Congress. If the program receives additional funding in the future, Pea River will notify all subscribers that it has resumed. 

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps households afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more.

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for families on qualifying Tribal lands.

Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

Learn more about the ACP on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) website.

The FCC discontinued the ACP in April 2024 due to a lack of funding from Congress. If the program receives additional funding in the future, Pea River will notify all subscribers that it has resumed. 

The Affordable Connectivity program offers a $30 monthly bill credit that can only be applied to Internet services. The credit cannot be applied to phone services.

Yes! Your broadband subscription offers enough speed and bandwidth to support streaming from any streaming service you choose. If you are unsure which streaming service is right for you, visit MyBundle.TV to create your perfect streaming bundle based on the shows and TV networks you enjoy the most. 

Please remember, we do not offer cable TV service. Any streaming subscriptions you sign up for must be paid directly to the streaming platform. Charges for streaming subscriptions will not be included in your monthly bill from Pea River Broadband. 

Streaming is entertainment that is delivered to you via the Internet. You can stream TV shows, movies, music, games, and more as long as you have three components:

1. A fast, reliable broadband connection
2. A streaming device such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Roku Streaming Stick, Smart TV, Xbox, PlayStation, tablet, laptop, or smartphone
3. A streaming service or channel subscription such as Apple Music, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube TV, Prime Video, Pluto TV, or Spotify

Free streaming options exist, but most streaming services require a monthly subscription. Pricing and programming selections vary for each streaming service. 

Visit MyBundle.TV for help choosing the best streaming services for you.