Helping
people connect with each other has always been our major focus. The company
has taken steps—building layer upon layer—forming a rock solid foundation of
the latest technology. It all
started in 1948 when two farmers stood in a field wondering why residents in
outlying areas were told they could not receive telephone service. Others had
said it was because construction charges were too prohibitive. One of the
men, E. Floyd Ross, believed that anything was possible. He took action and
organized a board, consisting of eight ranchers and farmers. Each person
represented a portion of the Uintah Basin. The
cooperative’s goal was to fill the void left by for-profit companies who
chose not to serve rural customers. By 1953, the company’s coverage extended
more than 100 miles with over 750 customers. The company
grew as technology advanced. As customer needs evolved, the company
introduced four new services over a span of eight years: Other
notable steps: in 1992, the company added fiber-optic technology
for schools in the Uintah Basin, providing students the chance to learn from
instructors many miles away and interact with their peers throughout the
state. In 2001, the
company acquired the Duchesne, Roosevelt, and Vernal exchanges from
Qwest. This move built upon the cooperative’s 50-year-old dream, as the local
company began offering telephone service to the entire Uintah Basin. In
addition, the company extended cooperative membership opportunities to newly
acquired customers, and expanded the company’s local calling area throughout
the entire Uintah Basin. In 2009,
the company purchased Uintah Video Productions, also known as VTV-Channel 6,
to promote local television programming throughout the Uintah Basin, once
again adding another solid layer to the company’s foundation. Whether
watching a favorite TV show in high definition, emailing a grandchild,
or texting a friend on a compact smart phone, the company now serves multiple
generations with a variety of services. The
cooperative continues to focus and build upon their heritage, delivering
services to a diverse customer base within the Uintah Basin and
beyond. We are moving forward—adding layer upon layer, strengthening
and building upon the cooperative’s original foundation. |
In
June 2009, the cooperative changed the name to STRATA Networks and currently
does business under this name. UBTA-UBET Communications is still the legal name
of the business. The cooperative offers landline telephone service, broadband
internet service, cable TV service and wireless phone service.
To
learn more about STRATA Networks and the services we provide, please visit our
website at: www.stratanetworks.com.