Navigating Troubled Waters

LaValle Telephone Cooperative (LTC) is a WIN member whose mission is to provide cutting-edge phone, internet and digital TV solutions to people and communities. They were met with a natural disaster challenge — not once, not twice, but THREE times — that was severely impacting their entire operation.

The Challenge

 It’s tough enough for anyone to have to experience a flood, but LTC had the misfortune of suffering THREE floods in less than 10 years. The first flood was in 2008, and they lost all equipment at their Central Office (CO). In 2018, the CO flooded twice! After 2018, the decision was made to move to higher ground.

The Solution

LTC approached us and asked if we would help with relocating WIN network equipment located in their office, and we happily agreed. The WIN team planned extensively for this project with meetings every week for months prior in order to create a plan for every piece of equipment that needed to be moved. 

The new LTC CO was built in the center of their new HQ building. It even has its own separate roof to provide the maximum protection from outside weather. LTC provided two racks with power for the WIN equipment. They also provided dual diverse fiber entrances into the CO.

WIN turned up a temporary internet link out of a local POP to the new CO so the internet didn’t drop for LTC’s customers during the move. Over the course of just a few nights, WIN moved all equipment out of the old CO and into the new CO. LTC’s internet and video (from WIN partner, Midwest Video Solutions) was safely moved.

The entire move went very smoothly, and all equipment powered back up without issues.

The Outcome

The new location substantially reduces LTC’s risk of flooding, ensuring equipment will remain up and running. But if there was an outage for any reason, LTC now has added fiber diversity to make sure cable paths remain solid. A newer building gives LTC a fresh start in a safer operational environment.