Spring is here and we at ECFiber continue to work hard building and maintaining your state of the art fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to make this an extraordinary year, but as vaccination rates continue to rise we may truly be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We hope that those of you who use our reliable high-speed internet service agree that it has helped make working and learning from home easier in the face of the pandemic.

Here are some of the latest happenings at ECFiber that affect new and existing customers:

    • Our Office Remains Closed to Visitors – Until the Covid-19 threat has subsided, if you need assistance of any kind, please call us Monday-Friday between 9AM-5PM at (802) 763-2262 or email us at support@ecfiber.net.
  • Planned Network Maintenance 5/13/21 at 10PM – In order to continue to provide the highest quality service to our growing subscriber base, ECFiber will perform a facility upgrade overnight between March 13th and 14th. At 10PM, most subscribers in the towns listed below will see Internet and Telephone services stop working until as late as 5AM the next morning, although many services will come back online before the end of the maintenance window. Towns that will be affected by this service upgrade are:  Barnard, Granville, Hancock, Norwich, Pittsfield, Pomfret, Reading, Rochester, Sharon, Stockbridge, West Windsor and Woodstock.
  • Preparing for 10 Digit Dialing and “988” – The New Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline –  Later this year there will be a new dialing procedure implemented for all Vermont phone users. To complete all local calls, consumers will need to dial the area code + telephone number. This applies to all calls within our 802 area code. The timeline for this transition is as follows:
    • Beginning April 24, 2021, you should begin dialing 10 digits (area code + telephone number) for all local calls. If you forget and just dial 7-digits, your call will still be completed.
    • Beginning October 24, 2021, you MUST dial 10-digits (area code + telephone number) for all local calls. On and after this date, local calls dialed with only 7-digits may not be completed, and a recording will inform you that your call cannot be completed as dialed. You must hang up and dial again using the area code and the 7-digit number.
    • Beginning July 16, 2022, dialing “988” will route your call to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Until this new 988 service is activated you must continue to use the entire number: 800-273-8255.
  • Online Billing Portal – The easiest way to monitor your billing account with ECFiber is to log on to our billing portal (URL). There you can view your invoices, payments and more. You can also make one-time payments using a checking/savings account or credit card and set up automatic payments — which will earn you a one-time $35 credit. You can also call us (#), and when you do have your checkbook handy so you can read the routing and account numbers to us.
  • $50 Referral Credit – We offer a $50 referral credit to you and any new subscriber that you refer. In order to qualify two things are required. 1) The new subscriber must add the name of the customer who referred them to their subscription form and 2) the existing customer must send an email to support@ecfiber.net confirming the referral. Both will then see the $50 credit on their next monthly invoice.
  • $150 Contract Buyout – If you are already under contract with another internet service provider and are ready to make the switch, ECFiber will buy out your existing contract up to $150 with a credit to your ECFiber account.
  • Seasonal Disconnect and Reconnect – ECFiber will permit a seasonal disconnect of Internet service once per calendar year. During the time of suspension you will be charged only the $8 ONT Rental Fee. Residential phone service is not eligible for seasonal disconnect and will remain at the normal rate of $25 plus taxes. To initiate your seasonal internet disconnect or reconnect please email us at support@ecfiber.net.

 

Finally, a hearty “THANK YOU!” to all our customers.

We recognize that this has been a very difficult time for many of you. We appreciate your patience and commitment to our company. Your local ECFiber Team will continue to work hard in the upcoming months to bring you the best possible phone and internet service. You are part of the Community-Owned, Subscriber-Funded ECFiber family, and our staff is most appreciative of your support! (Alex, Alison, Andy, Carole, Chris, Christine, Cody, Corey, Dana, Dannielle, Dawna, Dwayne, Eric, Gavin, Heather, Jai, Jess, John, Josh, Ken, Levi, Matt, Megan, Stan, Toby, Tom, Wesley and Zac).

ECFiber is the doing-business-as name of the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District, a municipal entity owned by its 31 constituent town members but not supported by local taxes. To reach a delegate to the district board, email <yourtownnamehere>@ecfiber.net (for example, Tunbridge@ecfiber.net). The annual report of the district is available here: https://www.ecfiber.net/ecfiber-plans-2021-expansion-in-new-towns/. ECFiber is operated by ValleyNet, Inc., a local, community-based non-profit internet service provider. ValleyNet employees engaged in ECFiber-related work will carry identification from ECFiber.

REQUIRED NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS PAYING BY CHECK: ECFiber is now using the latest in technology to scan and process your checks. This should result in fewer errors in cashing your checks. In some cases (depending on your bank) this may convert eligible paper checks to Automated Clearing House (ACH) debits. These electronic transactions process faster than traditional checks, so be sure you have enough money in your account at the time you send us your check. Please contact us if you have questions or if you wish to opt out of this ACH conversion.