Amherst Telephone Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | July 3, 1903 |
| Founder | 62 local investors |
| Headquarters | Amherst , United States |
Area served | Portage County, Wisconsin and neighboring regions |
Key people | C. J. Iverson (first president), C. O. Iverson Jr. |
| Products | Internet, telephone, television services |
Amherst Telephone Company, operating under the name Amherst Communications, delivers Internet, telephone, and television services throughout Portage County, Wisconsin and neighboring regions.
History
Established on July 3, 1903, Amherst Telephone was created through the financial contributions of 62 local investors, each contributing $25. The company's inaugural president was C. J. Iverson. From its founding until 1929, a gray mare named May was instrumental in transporting equipment and staff, particularly given the difficult road conditions of the time.
Key milestones
By 1907, Amherst had established a connection with the Bell System. The following year, 1908, saw the installation of a switchboard and the deployment of 90.5 miles of telephone lines, extending service to Custer, Wisconsin and Polonia, Wisconsin.
The subscriber base nearly doubled to 400 after acquiring exchanges in Nelsonville, Wisconsin and Rosholt, Wisconsin in 1925. However, the Great Depression led to a reduction in customers by half during the early 1930s. The Custer exchange ceased operations in 1935.
In 1955, a new building was constructed in Rosholt to house an automatic switchboard. Subscriber numbers reached 1,000 by the late 1950s under the leadership of C. O. Iverson Jr. The 1960s brought new facilities in Amherst, Polonia, and Nelsonville alongside upgrades to dial switchboards.
Throughout the 1980s, the Nelsonville exchange was phased out; cable television services were introduced; and approximately 3,000 access lines were installed underground.
A fire at Amherst’s main office in 1999 interrupted service for only about 20% of customers due to effective backup systems.
By 2018, Amherst Communications had significantly expanded its Fiber to Home offerings into rural areas lacking adequate service, connecting hundreds of additional households each year.
Improvements
To enhance network reliability and minimize storm-related outages, Amherst Communications has invested in burying its lines. The company transitioned from shared party lines to private connections, moved from analog to digital technology, and upgraded infrastructure from copper wiring to fiber-optic cable.
They collaborate with WIN (Wisconsin Independent Network), recognized as Wisconsin’s largest fiber optic transport network.
Other collaborators include:
Airstream and Midwest Video Solutions, who provide support for high-capacity video and data transmission services.