Table of Contents

General

After I subscribe, how long does it take to get connected?

If you are in our current service area we can connect you quickly if you have a standard aerial drop (the line from the nearest utility pole to your premises will be 400 feet or less) – usually within a week or two at your convenience. If you require an underground connection, that will take longer. Please read “How to Get Connected” for further details.

When will service be available in my area?

There are still some areas within ECFiber’s service area that are under construction. Please visit our map and check the availability status at your location. There are also several new towns that have been added to ECFiber recently and we are still in the early stages of planning. The best plan of attack for customers in the newly added towns is to fill out our online Subscription Form here, and ECFiber will notify you of the build progress.
 

I am here only part of the year. Can I arrange for temporary suspension of my service?

SEASONAL SERVICE SUSPENSION POLICY:
 
ECFiber will permit a seasonal disconnect of Internet service once during a calendar year. During the time of suspension the customer will be charged the $8 ONT Rental Fee.  Residential phone service will remain at the normal rate of $25 plus taxes.
 

Can the service be used with a home alarm system?

 
Home security systems can be compatible with digital phone service. You are advised to contact your local home security professional for more information.

Conduit / Nonstandard Connections

What is a Nonstandard Connection?

 A Nonstandard Connection is when the distance from your premises to the ECFiber lines is over 400 feet. There a charge of $1 per foot for additional footage aerial or underground. After reviewing the quote if you would like to move forward with our service please send us a deposit for 50% of quoted amount.

I want to install the conduit myself. What are the specifications?

If your current conduit is not usable or none is present, and installation is required:
 
  • You MUST call DIGSAFE (811) first! It is the law! They will mark phone/electric paths for free.
  • Conduit should go from your utility pole to your house where the utilities boxes are located.
  • Conduit must be a minimum of 1.5″ diameter for distances under 400 feet. Anything longer than 400 feet 2″ diameter conduit should be installed. Conduit should be “schedule 40 electrical” (not water pipe), and use long sweeps (not elbows, “LB’s or “L” shaped turns)
    • Fiber can not be bent at harsh angles as it will cause a poor signal and will break.
  • Conduit must come up at least 1.5 – 2′ above grade at both the house and pole as well as secured to the pole and to house. Also, conduit on pole side must come up in the same quadrant as existing services.
  • Conduit should be trenched 18″-24″ deep. Install tracer wire on the conduit for Dig Safe as ECFiber does not use “toneable” cable.
  • If it is necessary to connect two sections of conduit you must be sure NOT to glue the interior pull string to the conduit when you glue together two sections
  • Conduit should have a 210-250lb tensile-strength pull string installed
  • Tie the pull string around the conduit and place a cap over the ends of the conduit to prevent water from entering
  • Distances greater than 400′ should have a ‘pull site’ every 500′. Please call the office and consult with the Out Door Crew for requirements.
  • No weather heads please. There is too high a risk for fiber to break and interrupt service.

Internet Service

What level of service is right for me?

  • Basic 100Mbps: Ideal for individuals or small families with basic internet needs (streaming, browsing, email).
  • Standard 300Mbps: Best for families with multiple users or those who frequently work from home.
  • Wicked 1Gbps: Perfect for power users, gamers, large households, professionals, or anyone who wants the fastest possible internet experience.

 

 

Telephone Service

What is included with ECFiber phone service?

An ECFiber residential or business phone comes with unlimited local and long distance calling services and a big list of features:

  • Unlimited local calling including calls to toll free numbers (800,866,877,etc.)
  • Unlimited long distance calling within the U.S. and Canada
  • International calling billed per Exhibit
  • Caller ID with number
  • CNAM (includes Caller ID with number and name)
  • Call waiting with Caller ID
  • 3-way calling
  • Speed Call Short
  • Anonymous Call Rejection
  • Call Forward-variable
  • Call Forward-find-me-follow-me
  • Remote Access to Call Forwarding
  • Web Selfcare Portal
  • Call Barring (All, Long Distance, International, and 900 calls)
  • Automatic Recall (*69)
  • Auto Callback to Busy Line (*66)
  • Call Block

Can I keep my current phone number if I subscribe for ECFiber’s phone service?

If a subscriber requests phone service and is happy to have a new phone number assigned, that phone number can be set up within 48 hours. If a subscriber prefers to retain her/his phone number, it takes up to 10 days to transfer that number. Customers should NOT disconnect their current phone number prior to the transfer date. ECFiber staff will inform you when the transfer is complete, so that you can contact your former telephone service company to make sure that they will no longer bill you for service.

Can the service be used with a home alarm system?

Home security systems can be compatible with digital phone service. You are advised to contact your local home security professional for more information.

How can I assure continuing telephone service during a power outage?

All ECFiber customers receive a back up battery that will supply customers with up to 12 hours of telephone service. For the battery back up to work customer MUST have a cord phone for their base unit (the phone that is directly plugged into ECFiber box).

Will I still be listed in the phone book?

Yes. Your directory listing can be Listed, Non-Listed, or Non-Published. If listed, it will be printed in the directory local to the phone number, not the address.

Do I need to test E911 dialing after setup?

No. Calling E911 when it is not an emergency could create unnecessary legal issues for you.

Can I send faxes with digital phone service?

Successful faxing is largely dependent upon the Internet speed and model of fax machine. The upload/download speed should be no less than 256k. Fax machines with an Ethernet port work with greater consistency than older models.

Can I transfer my cellular phone number to ECFiber service?

No, in most circumstances cellular phone numbers cannot be transferred from a wireless provider to our service.

Can a ringmaster number be transferred to ECFiber service?

No, the ringmaster number must be converted to a regular phone line by the existing carrier before it can be transferred.

How can I stop unsolicited or unwanted callers from reaching my line?

To cut down on annoying calls, ECFiber recommends you enter your telephone number in the National Do Not Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov). ECFiber is also compatible with NomoRobo. To enroll in NomoRobo visit their website, NomoRobo.com, and create an account. There is guidelines and prompts, but if you are unsure if you have setup your account and are protected please call the ECFiber office at 833-323-4237, and a technician can assist you.

What happens if a telephone number cannot be transferred to ECFiber?

If for some reason we are unable to transfer an existing number, we will contact you so that the order can be clarified or terminated.

What is the maximum length of a voicemail message?

The voice mailbox allows up to a total of 10 minutes of voice messages. Once the mailbox gets to 10 minutes, all new messages will be blocked. Each individual message can be up to 1 minute in length.

Can calls be erased from the call log?

No, calls are archived for 3 months.

What is the cause of choppy calls and is there anything that can be done to fix this?

Choppy calls are usually caused by problems such as high latency or packet loss – which can occur outside ECFiber’s network. They are usually temporary. High latency is when it takes too long for the data to be transmitted over the Internet connection. Packet loss is when information is lost over the Internet connection. Either symptom can be caused by Internet Service Provider (gmail, yahoo mail, aol, etc.) problems, Internet congestion, or heavy bandwidth usage at your location, such as online gaming or file sharing. You can determine if there is any problem by conducting an Internet speed test.

How can I assure continuing telephone service during a power outage?

The most common back-up for loss of wire line telephone service is temporary reliance on cellphones. However, many locations in ECFiber territory do not have good cellphone reception. Assuming that cellphone service is not sufficiently reliable to provide back-up to ECFiber wired service, there are a number of other options available to our subscribers:

A) Subscribers can plug the battery into a back-up generator. The cost of this varies enormously: i) if you already have a generator, the extra cost is virtually zero; ii) if you buy one for this purpose only, the smallest and cheapest will do fine. The advantage is that such generators can be used for many other things.

B) You can buy a standard “emergency battery” pack of the kind used for emergency jump-starting a car. These normally have a standard 110 outlet into which the ECFiber network battery can be plugged. Depending on the size of the battery pack and its condition this could extend the life of the network battery by up to 8 – 24 hours. Alternatively, you can buy an inexpensive inverter and attach it to a car battery and plug the ECFiber battery into that. This will have similar effectiveness as the emergency pack.

Can I use my current phone jacks in my home?

The current phone jacks in your home may or may not be compatible with ECFiber service. The best time to determine this is during the time of your initial install. If an ECFiber technicians is able to determine the phone jacks are compatible they will be able to get the jacks up and running for you. If they are not compatible we have two recommendations. Our first and most practical recommendation is having a CORDED phone plugged into our hardware and multiple CORDLESS phones throughout your home. An alternative to this is you can contact a local electrician to rewire your home, but this can become pricey.

We prefer customers plug directly into our equipment, and if there is a need for multiple phones throughout the house we recommend using cordless phones.

By you plugging your phone system directly into out our equipment it will reduce the risk of static echo noise or shorts. Also ECFiber is unable warranty your internal wiring because it is not something we installed and are unaware of the condition of the internal wiring of your home.

Streaming TV with ECFiber

Does ECFiber offer television services?

We do not offer direct television services, but we do offer streaming services through MyBundle. View our TV page for more information.

Will I Need Additional Equipment To Stream TV With My ECFiber Internet Service?

ECFiber provides you with a high-speed internet connection, which is essential for streaming television. However, to actually watch streaming TV, you’ll typically need a few additional things:
  • A Streaming Device:
    • This could be a “smart TV” with built-in streaming capabilities. Many modern TVs come with apps like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube pre-installed.
    • If your TV isn’t a smart TV, you’ll need a separate streaming device, such as:
      • Roku
      • Amazon Fire TV Stick
      • Apple TV
      • Chromecast with Google TV
      These devices connect to your TV and allow you to access various streaming services.
  • A Streaming Service Subscription:
    • You’ll need subscriptions to the streaming services you want to watch, such as:
      • Netflix
      • Hulu
      • YouTube TV
      • Sling TV
      • And many others.
  • Your ECFiber Internet Connection:
    • This is the back bone that allows the streaming data to reach your home. ECFiber provides the fast reliable internet needed for smooth streaming.