Valley In The News Articles & Press Releases

About Valley TeleCom Group

Valley TeleCom Group is a local telecommunications company that provides high-speed Internet, phone and business solutions to southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Valley has offices in Clifton, AZ; Safford, AZ; and Willcox, AZ and have been providing services since 1962.

Shortly after the initial grants were awarded, the Arizona Broadband Office contacted Valley, acknowledging the project's merit but explaining that there were insufficient funds to grant the award. Since then, changes in a few previously funded projects have freed up additional resources, making further funding available.

“We are very excited to have been awarded the Graham County Project,” said Troy Judd, CEO of Valley. “Expanding our services to meet the needs of Graham County residents has been a long-standing goal for us. This project builds on the investment and expansion we made in Thatcher back in 2021. With the additional funding from the Arizona Broadband Office, we can now extend high-speed connectivity even further west, bringing critical connections to some of our most rural communities.” 

Graham County Regional Fiber Project - This grant award of $4,810,148 will fund the extension of Valley's backbone network by 8.3 miles from Thatcher to Ft. Thomas and the construction of 65.5 miles of last-mile infrastructure serving the communities of Bryce, Eden, and Ft. Thomas. To support this effort, the Graham County Board of Supervisors has allocated $250,000 in matching funds, with Valley contributing an additional $463,722. Together, these contributions represent 13% of the total project cost of $5,523,870—a valuable investment in enhancing connectivity for Graham County residents.

In the initial round of funding of the Arizona Broadband Development Grant, Valley was awarded 2 grants. Those projects were the Fiber Investment for West Willcox Rural Community and the Santa Cruz County Patagonia Regional Broadband Project - Patagonia. Both projects are currently under construction with anticipation of services being available in the spring of 2025.

About Valley TeleCom Group

Floyd expressed, "The experience was awe-inspiring. Yes, there were the expected aspects – history, patriotism, and the beauty that DC offers; but the interaction among the students and focused conversations with Congressional staffers were the true highlights."

This year, seven students from three different high schools entered the Washington Youth Tour contest. To qualify, students had to complete an applica􀆟on and submit a 500-word essay on the topic, "What moment in American History do you wish you had been a part of and what would you have contributed?" Essays covered a wide range of topics, from the era of buffalo roaming the plains to the Space Race.

Britany Gomez, Valley's Customer Care Specialist, who has been a part of the interview team for two years, expressed her excitement about the process: "I love being a part of the WYT interviews because it is excitng to hear our youths' responses and to interact with them. I also love seeing their excitement and interest in the trip!"

Selected to represent Valley on the 2024 FRS Washington Youth Tour are Ayshleen Lopez, a junior from Deming High School, and Paige Evans, a sophomore from Animas High School. They will be accompanied by Valley chaperones and will embark on their journey to Washington DC on June 3rd, returning on June 7th.

During their time in the nation's capital, the students will have the opportunity to tour the U.S. Capitol, meet with their Congressional Offices, visit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and explore Mount Vernon. Additionally, evening tours of iconic memorials including the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Mar􀆟n Luther King Memorial, WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial are planned. The tour will conclude with visits to various sites at the National Mall.

Valley remains committed to supporting educational opportunities for students and looks forward to witnessing the enriching experiences Ayshleen Lopez and Paige Evans will encounter during their 􀆟me on the FRS Washington Youth Tour.

About Valley TeleCom Group

Valley TeleCom Group is a local telecommunications company that provides high-speed Internet, phone and business solutions to southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Valley has offices in Clifton, AZ; Safford, AZ; and Willcox, AZ and have been providing services since 1962.

About Valley TeleCom Group

Valley TeleCom Group is a local telecommunications company that provides high-speed Internet, phone and business solutions to southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Valley has offices in Clifton, AZ; Safford, AZ; and Willcox, AZ and have been providing services since 1962.

SRC is a national network of communities with innovative rural broadband providers that help achieve brighter prospects in smaller townships and rural areas. It promotes rural broadband and its role in supporting innovative economic development, effective education, efficient energy distribution and use, state-of-the-art healthcare and other important issues for rural areas. The Rural Broadband Association is an association representing more than 800 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small towns across the country. To receive recognition Valley was required to affirm that it offered 100 Mbps broadband to at least 50% of its service area, that it had broadband subscription rates of at least 50%, and that it is committed to program principles of collaboration and innovation.

NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield recognized Valley for this achievement, saying, “We are so excited to welcome another Smart Rural Community provider into this growing network of innovative broadband providers delivering the internet’s fastest speeds in some of the most remote and rural communities of our country. I applaud Valley and the communities for their commitment to enabling cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and promote economic development in their region and nationwide."

At the luncheon Valley’s Business Sales Executive Corina Pino-Reyes highlighted their new partnership with local internet provider Fiber Homes, the nation’s first fiber internet search service. Their service allows anyone looking to buy or rent a home to determine the quality of internet available at any given address in an area they serve. Locally Valley said it certified over 5,000 fiber serviceable addresses with Fiber Homes, joining a cross-country real time database of more than 100 fiber providers with over 1.8 million certified fiber addresses. “Reliable broadband internet is no longer optional for homebuyers; it’s become a basic requirement for anyone wanting to fully participate in the modern economy. Our goal with Fiber Homes is to make sure that anyone looking to buy or rent a home has access to this crucial information,” said Robert Gilbert, CEO of Fiber Homes. Heather Floyd, Valley PR specialist, interacted with guests from various arenas of the community, from business, education, and spoke about the advantages of Fiber Homes and the current projects in Willcox.

Speakers noted that Fiber Homes have become a boon for real estate agents looking to add a competitive amenity to their listings. The database is actively working with MLSs around the country to add this crucial information to the property listings. Homes with fiber broadband internet capabilities can provide a critical service for those people working from home, online education, or medical care communication, and modern homes are more heavily reliant on streaming for their television and entertainment services. Valley will be hosting a second luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 15, in Thatcher, to provide an overview of SRC and Fiber Homes and their benefit to that community.

About Valley TeleCom Group

Valley TeleCom Group is a local telecommunications company that provides high-speed Internet, phone and business solutions to southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Valley has offices in Clifton, AZ; Safford, AZ; and Willcox, AZ and have been providing services since 1962.  www.vtc.net

Fiber Investment for West Willcox Rural Community 

Valley was awarded grant funding to bring fiber internet to 8.2 square miles north of Interstate 10 in the Willcox Region. The cost of the project will be $2,977,460 with Valley contributing matching funds of $297,746. This project would install 46 miles of fiber and connect 513 households. This project will be 100% fiber optic Internet with the ability to operate at Gigabit speeds.

The awarding of this grant accelerates local broadband infrastructure investment; enhancing the speed, redundancy and reach of high-speed internet for customers, strengthening their capacity and competitiveness for economic growth – thereby improving the economic conditions and quality of life in rural Cochise County.

“As the City continues to grow, Valley Telecom plays an important role in economic development. Many areas the city is annexing do not have fiber. The Fiber Investment for West Willcox Rural Community project is essential and will provide additional housing options to our local workforce and will continue to spur economic development in Cochise County. This project also includes the City of Willcox Quail Park, increasing fiber Internet access to this vital community resource would be a benefit for the many events hosted at the park” wrote, Michael Laws, Mayor of Willcox in a letter to the ACA supporting the project.

Santa Cruz County Regional Broadband Project – Patagonia

Valley, in partnership with Santa Cruz County, was awarded grant funding to bring fiber internet to Patagonia, AZ. The cost of the project will be $2,103,585 with Valley contributing matching funds of $210,359. The Patagonia project will cover 1.26 square miles bringing access to fiber internet to 633 residential structures and businesses within the project footprint. This project will be 100% fiber optic Internet with the ability to operate at Gigabit speeds.

Building on a feasibility study commissioned by Santa Cruz County in 2020, the Patagonia Project is the first phase of a multi-phase approach to build out a middle mile network and provide fiber to the home and businesses to the most rural areas of Santa Cruz County. For Santa Cruz County and its local communities to successfully execute its economic plan and achieve future economic goals, high speed broadband must be available and affordable to support business development, health care advancements and improve higher education opportunities in the area.

City of Safford Downtown Wifi Project

The City of Safford was awarded an ACA AZ State Broadband Development Grant to install fiber optic cable, access points and other equipment required to provide broadband Internet in downtown Safford and at all Safford public parks including Glen Meadows, Firth, La Tierra, and El Paso Park (to be developed). The City of Safford is collaborating with Valley to provide the internet access and install the equipment necessary to allow residents and visitors to have free broadband internet access. 

The project will address the broadband needs of low-income residents in Safford by offering internet access at no cost. The Census shows 75.6% of the populations has broadband internet but that means 24.4% of Safford populations and estimated 2,471 residents do not have broadband. The Safford City-Graham County library has over 115 people a day visit the library to access the internet, illustrating the need for more broadband access in Safford.

The Safford projects support the Arizona Broadband Development Grant priorities to accelerate broadband infrastructure, strengthening economic growth and economic conditions in rural Arizona. The project will provide a big impact for this rural city at a low cost.

“This grant directly speaks to SEAGO’s mission to enhance economic and social progress for communities in our four-county region. Inadequate broadband services marginalize our rural residents. These projects help to close the digital divide in Patagonia and the rural area west of Willcox. Providing high quality internet access that enhances opportunities for education, telemedicine, and connection to a broader society“ stated, Randy Heiss, Executive Director of SEAGO in a letter to the ACA supporting the project.

The AZ State Broadband Development Grant Program was announced on November 15, 2021. The grant program had $100M to award with $75M designated specifically for rural areas. The minimum speed of 100/25mbps needed to be achieved to be eligible receive award funds. Proposed grants must have a minimum 10% match in funds with higher matches encouraged and a positive factor in evaluating the application.

The ACA received two times the number of applications that were anticipated, in total they had 87 applications to process for a total of more than $400M. The multitude of applications delayed the announcement of awardees by four months but that wait is now over.