Columbia Gains Two Additional Choices for Local Telephone Service Provider

Source: Columbia Business Times
Date: October 2005

When this year began, Columbia had only one local telephone-service company for people to choose. When this year ends, the city will have three choices: CenturyTel, Socket Telecom and Mediacom.

First, there was CenturyTel. In 2002, this Monroe, La.-based phone company with 3 million customers in 22 states replaced Verizon in Columbia. For three years, CenturyTel enjoyed the status of being the only local telephone service company in the mid-Missouri area.

Then came Socket Telecom LLC, an affiliate of Socket Internet. In January, Socket began offering local telephone services in Columbia, an opportunity made possible by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

"The legal organization and securing licenses took nearly two years, a lot of lawyers and more money than we care to think about," said Carson Coffman, co-owner and vice president.

Socket kept going because it saw great opportunity. [full story]