History of CCT – 117 Years Strong

Cochrane Co-op Telephone (CCT) has been a proud community partner for 117 years serving the Cochrane, Buffalo City and Waumandee Areas. In 2016 CCT began offering services to residents and businesses in the City of Alma. In 2018 the Town of Milton entered into a public-private partnership agreement with CCT to deploy an all-fiber network in the township. The Town of Cross and CCT entered into a public-private partnership to deploy an all-fiber network in the township in 2021. Originally organized in 1905 as Farmers Telephone Company to provide telephone service to our rural areas, CCT now serves over 1700 members with Telephone and Broadband Internet.

Rural telephone cooperatives were formed when the cost of expanding services to rural areas discouraged for-profit utilities from serving these areas. As a result, the cooperative model was often used to provide telephone service to rural communities. Today, telephone cooperatives serve about 5 percent of the U.S population, but their service area covers more than 40 percent of the country’s land mass. Cooperatives have stood the test of time and remain an innovative and integral economic force helping to build strong communities. Cooperatives allow ordinary people to join together to gain economic power and to improve their lives. CCT is the smallest of the eleven telephone cooperatives in Wisconsin.

Cochrane Co-op Telephone Timeline

  • 1905 Organized as Farmers Telephone Company and recognized with the State of Wisconsin
  • 1960 Changed name to Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company
  • 1971 Copper cable was buried and party lines were eliminated
  • 1995 Internet and email service were offered
  • 2004 Investments were made to provide IPTV services
  • 2010 Network was upgraded to Fiber to the Home (FTTH)
  • 2014 Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company rebranded as Cochrane Co-op Telephone (CCT). CCT revised its mission & vision statements and created core values.
  • 2015 CCT was honored to be recognized by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, as a Certified Gig-Capable Provider. CCT joined a select group of rural telecommunication service providers that are able to provide Gigabit Broadband to their communities and was recognized at National and State Levels as a Gigabit Provider.
  • 2016 CCT expanded its service territory to include residents and businesses in the City of Alma.
  • 2018 CCT and the Town of Milton entered into a public-private partnership agreement to deploy broadband. CCT was recognized nationally with NTCA’s Smart Rural Community Showcase Award. The SRC Showcase Award is presented to NTCA members in recognition of extraordinary achievements in promoting rural broadband networks and applications in rural communities.
  • 2019 The Town of Milton expansion was completed.
  • 2021 CCT and the Town of Cross entered into a public-private partnership agreement to deploy broadband throughout the township.
  • 2022 The Town of Cross expansion was completed.