Social Responsibility

Community Broadband Investment, Company Giving & Volunteerism 

Bridging the Rural Digital Divide

Consolidated Communications is bringing fiber broadband services to rural America, critical access to the internet for economic opportunity, job creation, education and civic engagement. In 2022, we had committed capital expenditures of $601 million, which includes significant investments to deliver better broadband services to unserved or underserved people in rural communities throughout our service areas.  

 

As part of our commitment to deliver fiber-to-the-home to more than 70% of the company’s service area by 2026, Consolidated completed more than 400,000 fiber upgrades in 2022. We marked an important milestone of having 1 million fiber-capable locations, and now have extended fiber to nearly 40% of our addressable market, a 4x increase from 2020. This expansion included significant company investments, grants at the federal, state and local levels, and funding from the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund (RDOF).

 

Additionally, Consolidated continues to enter into public-private partnership agreements with communities across Northern New England to upgrade and improve rural broadband service. In 2022, the company partnered with the Maine Connectivity Authority to bring multi-gig broadband to 34,000 rural homes in Maine, funded in part with a NTIA grant.


Working closely with the Southern Vermont Communications Union District (CUD), Consolidated brought broadband to 12,000 homes in Bennington County, including more than 400 previously unserved homes. The CUD and Consolidated continue to find innovative ways to build fiber-to-the-home for even the hardest to reach homes in the area.



Consolidated Connects Educational Grant Program

Established in late 2020, the Consolidated Connects Educational Grant Program provides funding for innovative, technology-focused initiatives at K-12 schools within the company’s service area. The learning programs advance creative student learning, develop 21st century skills, promote critical thinking and utilize innovative technologies. 

 

Grants are awarded annually through an online grant application process. In 2022, we awarded $22,250 to schools through the grant program, serving 3,300 students in five schools. Complete program information is available at consolidated.com/cciconnects.

 

Consolidated Cares Employee Volunteering Program

We believe contributions of time are just as important as financial gifts and are proud to support employees who dedicate their time to serving the community. 

 

In 2022, our employees reported more than 6,600 volunteer hours, in support of important programs and groups across our service area.

 

In 2022, the company kicked off its Consolidated Cares program, which rewards employees who volunteer at least 25 hours with a nonprofit organization by providing a $250 contribution to an organization of the employee’s choice.  As a result of the program and our employees’ generosity with their time, Consolidated contributed $10,500 to 42 nonprofits during the program’s inaugural year. The 42 employees earning the reward reported nearly 2,000 hours of volunteer time in 2022.


Special Olympics Family Festival (SOFF)

Every year since 1984, on the third Saturday in September, Consolidated Communications employees, family members and community volunteers host the Special Olympics Family Festival (SOFF) in Mattoon, Illinois for Special Olympic Athletes from east central Illinois. The daylong event, planned throughout the year by a volunteer committee made up of Consolidated employees and other business and community leaders, is filled with non-competitive games and activities in a carnival-like atmosphere. 

 

SOFF began as another way for co-founder and former Consolidated Communications founding Board Director and Chairman Richard A. Lumpkin to engage Consolidated Communications employees in the community and included a few hundred athletes and volunteers. 

 

It has grown and evolved, but the focus on inclusion, friendship and having fun remains. Today, Special Olympics International calls it the “biggest event of its kind in the world” with more than 600 Special Olympian Athletes and 1,200 volunteers. 

 

Following two years of virtual SOFF to keep athletes and volunteers safe during the worst of the Covid pandemic, SOFF returned to an in-person event in 2022. Long-time volunteers, supporters and families were ecstatic to gather once again for a day of fun. 

 

In 2023, SOFF will celebrate 40 years of life-changing fun! More information is available at consolidated.com/SOFF

 

Minnesota Community Fund

Over the past 60 years, the Consolidated Communications Community Fund (formerly the Mankato Citizens Telephone Company/HickoryTech Foundation) has given more than $6.5 million to nonprofit organizations through-out southern Minnesota. The Community Fund is a donor- advised fund, administered by the Mankato Area Foundation, with an advisory board comprised of local Consolidated Communications employees who direct grants and gifts. 

 

Community Fund grants support critical community needs such as hunger and homelessness, and provide scholarships and funding for technology-focused educational programs. In 2022, 24 nonprofit organizations received grants totaling $150,000 from the Fund.

 

In addition, the Consolidated Communications Community Fund supports a matching gift program and a volunteer time benefit to employees in the region. These programs generated nearly $10,000 and 1,000 hours of financial and volunteer support to local nonprofit organizations throughout southern Minnesota.

 

California’s Consolidated Communications Foundation

For nearly 30 years, the Consolidated Communications Foundation has given over $5.5 million to communities through local nonprofits and organizations that serve those in need and create more vibrant communities. 

 

Each year, the Foundation is funded through the generosity of employees who make voluntary payroll contributions matched by a company gift. In 2022, the Foundation gave $142,890 to 148 nonprofits serving their communities.

 

Roseville Telephone Museum

Since 1994, the Roseville Telephone Museum, managed by Consolidated Communications, has been home to one of the most extensive collections of antique telephones and telecommunications memorabilia in the nation. The exhibits in the 4,500 square-foot museum chronicle and celebrate more than a century of communications technology and a unique perspective of the history of Roseville, California. 

 

With financial support from Consolidated Communications and a team of dedicated volunteers comprised of current and retired employees, the Roseville Telephone Museum has been called one of the best hidden gems in Northern California. Offering free admission, the museum is a favorite destination for school children, families and anyone with a sense of curiosity. 

 

More information is available in Consolidated’s 2022 ESG Report.