For the past 15 years, Farmers Telecommunications company has managed the town of Rico’s internet.
But Farmers does not own the phone lines within the town of Rico that provide the Internet. The telephone lines are owned instead by the Idaho-based company Direct Communications, also known as Directcom.
Last week, Farmers announced that it would stop providing internet service within the town of Rico. Farmers General Manager Doug Pace told KSJD that doing so was strictly a business decision, because Farmers was losing money by providing internet service in the town. He said Farmers can still work with Directcom to connect Rico to get fiber into the town limits, but that it is now up to Directcom to provide service after that. Pace declined KSJD’s request for an on-air interview, but KSJD's Austin Cope talked with Directcom’s marketing director Brigham Griffin to talk more about the company’s plans.
Full disclosure: Farmers is a corporate supporter of KSJD, and has provided internet service to KSJD’s Rico studios. Farmers billed customers, helped with tech support and set up internet connections in people's homes.
