Our Fiber Story
For decades, Roanoke Cooperative has understood that access to reliable infrastructure determines whether rural communities grow, stagnate, or fall behind. Just as electricity reshaped northeastern North Carolina in the twentieth century, high-speed internet has become essential to economic opportunity, education, healthcare, and quality of life in the twenty-first. Roanoke Cooperative’s fiber story did not begin with construction—it began with long-term awareness, advocacy, and preparation.
Early Advocacy for Rural Connectivity
As early as the early 2000s, Roanoke Cooperative was actively engaged in efforts to improve rural internet access. The cooperative recognized early on that connectivity would be a critical driver of economic opportunity—supporting job creation, education, healthcare access, and the ability of rural communities to compete and grow.
For many years, Roanoke Cooperative supported providers and partners interested in serving the region, understanding that broadband access would be foundational to long-term community vitality, even if solutions were not yet fully available.
Fiber as an Operational Necessity
A turning point came in the mid-2010s, when MCNC, a North Carolina nonprofit that builds and operates internet and education network infrastructure, expanded the North Carolina Research and Education Network into the northern portion of Roanoke Cooperative’s service territory. That project introduced roughly 100 miles of fiber into the region.
Roanoke Cooperative subscribed to portions of that network and began building its own fiber extensions—initially not to offer retail internet service, but to strengthen electric operations. Fiber connectivity enabled improved substation communications, supported advanced metering, and laid the groundwork for a more automated and resilient electric system that can detect and respond to outages more quickly.
From the beginning, this early fiber was designed so that other providers could lease capacity and use the network as a backbone to extend service beyond that network using a range of technologies and deliver broadband to local communities.
Learning the Limits of the Market
Despite the infrastructure foundations built in the mid-2010s, the cooperative learned a hard truth: in a deeply rural region, private providers were unwilling or unable to extend service to homes and businesses, even when backbone infrastructure was available. The situation increasingly mirrored the cooperative’s own history in the 1930s, when households lacked access to electricity because market forces alone could not justify the investment.
In response, the cooperative formed RoanokeConnect, a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary, shortly after building its initial fiber network—creating a structure to own fiber assets and evaluate broadband delivery options.
As the cooperative evaluated whether it should play a more direct role in delivering broadband service, RoanokeConnect explored lower-cost technologies, including fixed wireless, in an effort to address access challenges more quickly and affordably. Over nearly two years of operation, however, the region’s dense tree cover and terrain created persistent reliability, latency, and maintenance challenges. Customer service demands and operational costs were significantly higher than anticipated.
Those lessons proved decisive.
Committing to Fiber
Through continued engagement with member-owners and firsthand operational experience, it became clear that fiber was the only long-term solution capable of meeting community needs. Fiber offered the reliability, scalability, and longevity required to support rural households, businesses, schools, and healthcare providers—while also strengthening the electric system itself.
At the same time, demand from Roanoke Cooperative’s member-owners was accelerating. During the pandemic and the years that followed, households, businesses, and students increasingly relied on high-speed internet for work, education, healthcare, and daily life. Member feedback and growing demand made clear that reliable broadband access was no longer optional—it was essential.
In the very early 2020s, RoanokeConnect made the strategic decision to fully commit to fiber infrastructure, marking a turning point and setting the stage for accelerated investment and expansion across the service territory.
Retail Broadband and the Fybe Brand
As fiber construction accelerated, RoanokeConnect expanded its role to include retail broadband service. Shortly thereafter, the Fybe brand was introduced as the customer-facing identity for broadband service delivered over the cooperative’s fiber network.
Fybe reflected a commitment to providing reliable, high-quality broadband tailored to the needs of rural communities.
From Retail Broadband to Infrastructure Ownership
As the network matured, RoanokeConnect reached another strategic inflection point. In the mid-2020s, RoanokeConnect transitioned out of retail broadband operations while retaining ownership of the fiber network.
The cooperative began leasing its 2,300-mile fiber network to a partnering entity, eNCore, which continues to operate services and expand the network. Fybe remains the customer-facing brand, ensuring continuity for subscribers.
A Long View, Realized
Today, Roanoke Cooperative owns approximately 2,300 miles of fiber infrastructure, supporting broadband availability across its service territory and strengthening electric operations. The fiber network currently serves over 8,000 subscribers, with adoption continuing to grow as more households and businesses experience the reliability, performance, and long-term value that reminder fiber connectivity provides.
More importantly, the fiber story reflects decades of foresight: advocacy before funding existed, evaluation before commitment, and responsiveness to the evolving needs of its member-owners.
Just as rural electrification transformed this region generations ago, fiber connectivity is helping ensure northeastern North Carolina remains connected, competitive, and prepared for the future.
Interested in Broadband Service?
High-speed internet service delivered over Roanoke Cooperative’s fiber network is available through Fybe.
To check availability or learn more, visit: www.gofybe.com