7:13AM July 13, 2021

fter searching for reliable internet for years, Kim Paul has finally found it – with GoSEMO Fiber. Prior to this, Paul has lived in rural areas her entire life, and internet has always been unstable regardless of the service provider.

As a graphic designer working from home, uploading large design files would take days to transfer to her clients. She frequently had to break her files into pieces and send clients multiple pieces rather than the full file. Paul's parents received fiber internet before her, so she would often drive the 15 minutes to their house to download her work files. The drive to their house took longer than the files would take to upload with their high-speed fiber internet.

Paul was lucky enough to have fiber internet available and installed before the pandemic started, receiving service in 2019.

“When stuck at home, whether you run a business or you’re in the middle of a pandemic lockdown, connecting with the outside world is necessary. GoSEMO Fiber continues to keep us up and running without fail,” Paul said.

Between Paul, her husband, and their 10-year old son, fiber internet is necessary for streaming, online learning, work, and more. Paul even has a “she shed” in her backyard where she can escape to stream shows or movies and relax. Her son is able to video-chat with grandparents, do his schoolwork, talk to friends, and play games with no buffering.

“My family can seamlessly stream on seven devices, which is particularly important when schools and offices were closed. I found new opportunities both personally and professionally as my husband watched how-to videos and my son met with friends online after virtual learning. And yes, those late-night ‘Tiger King’ marathons were also essential,” Paul jokingly added.

GoSEMO Fiber service has transformed life in multiple ways. Paul’s monthly internet bill is now a third of what it used to be, and she feels confident that her service is reliable enough to support all of her design work, huge files and all. Even storms don’t phase her; she knows her connection will still be strong. What once was a constant worry in her life is now something that she never has to stress about.

7:12AM July 13, 2021

As a homeschool teacher and mom of three boys, Kim Bunger knows her family needs to operate efficiently. For the busy lifestyle of the Bunger family, high-speed fiber internet has become a must-have, particularly in light of the pandemic. As members of SEMO electric cooperative for more than 20 years, all six members of the Bunger family – even Kim’s father, who moved into a camper on their property – were thrilled when their co-op delivered fiber internet via its subsidiary GoSEMO.

Before fiber service was installed in December 2020, the Bunger family knew exactly which spots in their house they could receive phone service in. When on calls, the caller had to stay in one of those spots for the duration of the call to avoid losing service. Their house was known as a 'black hole' by friends and work colleagues, who knew that trying to call, text or email anyone in the Bunger family when they were at home was futile, because the messages never made it to them. Once Kim's husband Rob left his office for the day, he was cut off from all communication with coworkers because of the lack of service at home.

At Kim’s request, GoSEMO installed a hotspot closer to the Bungers’ home, at a nearby church. The timing of the hotspot was truly a blessing, Kim recounted, because it allowed family and friends to attend a virtual memorial for Kim’s mother who had passed away. Service was enabled just a day before the service.

“I’ll never forget our son sitting his car participating in his class the morning of my mom’s burial, which none of us could attend due to COVID restrictions,” Kim said. “To see the dedication this kid had to his studies and what he would do to succeed in his classes was a lot to process. Knowing he could now drive just 10 minutes to get internet was a blessing on a very difficult day.”

A few months later, GoSEMO service brought fiber to the Bungers’ home. Now, the whole family uses its fiber internet to power their cell phones from the WiFi as well as for the many everyday tasks high-speed internet makes possible. Rob can work from home effectively and stay in contact with colleagues after hours as needed. Kim’s father is able to connect to his doctors via telemedicine visits from his camper on the property, saving him hours and miles of drive time. He is also thrilled to be able to stream his favorite TV shows and movies with his family without interruptions or buffering.

The entire family agrees that GoSEMO fiber internet has changed life most dramatically for Kim. “You know that saying about ‘happy wife, happy life’?” Rob joked. “It couldn’t be truer for our household. Kim is happy, so we’re all happy.”

“We’ve struggled with internet services at home since we moved here in 1998. We concluded that it was just the price we paid for our location,” Kim said. “After waiting since 2017, we have found good things truly do come to those who wait. We didn’t fully understand how GoSEMO Fiber would affect our lives. Thanks, SEMO Electric and GoSEMO Fiber, for making our lives better in so many ways.”

7:11AM July 13, 2021

Renee Aufdenberg and her husband have both lived in the SEMO Electric Cooperative service area for their entire adolescent and adult lives, so they’ve seen many different internet services try – and fail – to provide the area with stable, reliable service. Dial-ups, satellites, line-of-sight towers, and mobile hotspots didn't make the cut for the Aufdenberg family to effectively run its dog breeding business, attend virtual cattle auctions, or connect with family members safely throughout the pandemic. Aufdenberg and her husband would drive through their fields just to find a signal strong enough to bid at virtual cattle auctions. If a storm came through, service would drop completely and if damage had been done, it would take at least a full week to regain internet service.

Between their two businesses and having grandchildren in and out of the house, GoSEMO Fiber internet was a must for their family. Since receiving service in May 2019, Aufdenberg often reflects that she doesn't know how she'd go back to life before high-speed broadband. During the pandemic, her high school grandson was able to come over and do his homework, and Aufdenberg who regularly watches her preschool-age grandchildren, has taken advantage of endless options for educational resources to teach and entertain.

“If it hadn't been for GoSEMO Fiber, none of this would have worked,” Aufdenberg said. “Our old service only worked if all conditions were right, which didn't happen often.”

A reliable internet connection has also allowed Aufdenberg and her husband expand their dog breeding business and maintain their family farm. Aufdenberg has a consistent waiting list of people wanting to adopt her dogs, and fiber internet has allowed her to buy dogs from overseas, collaborate with a Serbian dog trainer, and video chat with customers so they can choose their puppies. Fiber internet is also powering security cameras on their property, which allows her to watch their barn lot and dog pens without leaving the comfort of her home.

“It’s been a game changer all around for our family,” Aufdenberg said. “Now, someone in the household is always using the internet and able to do what they need immediately rather than waiting 15 minutes for just one webpage to load.”

6:46AM July 13, 2021

The fiber outage east of Dexter (Frisco Zone) should be restored. Please call us at 877-430-5418 if you are experiencing a fiber outage or downed fiber line.

6:44AM July 13, 2021

6:42AM July 13, 2021

6:36AM July 13, 2021

We have a small outage outside of Dexter in our Frisco zone area. We have a crew on the way to locate the issue. Thank you.

1:41PM July 07, 2021

Who will be the 7,000th GoSEMO Fiber Subscriber. We are almost to 6,500. Order now. 

Do you risk losing out on family connections, learning, running your business and shopping and entertainment opportunities because you don't have 100% fiber broadband services? Live life to its fullest with safe, reliable and affordable fiber internet, TV and phone services. You matter! We serve homes, farms, churches, schools and small and large commercial businesses to make people's lives better. Sign up today. You get free installation, with no activation fees, no contracts, no data caps and no throttling. Plus, local service. Click shop now or call 877-430-5418.

8:59AM June 07, 2021

Looking for ways to keep your children learning over summer break? We’ve compiled several great and FREE online resources for you.

Online Learning Resources for the Summer Break

7:13AM May 19, 2021

We will miss but we are excited to see you focus on making your dreams come true. You will accomplish all your goals with your high energy personality and unique ideas.
Best of luck to you.

11:12PM May 12, 2021

6,000 subscribers in rural southeast Missouri. We are making people's lives better. Enroll today. 

6:55PM May 04, 2021

10:22PM May 01, 2021

• Showtime - Free Preview from April 30th – May 3rd

• World Fishing Network (WFN) - Free Preview for the month of May

• Game Show Network - Free Preview from May 1 – June 30th

8:49AM April 29, 2021

Friday April 30th from 7:30am to 5pm

Saturday May 1st 7:30am to 4pm

7:29AM April 29, 2021

10:58AM April 14, 2021

No Date Caps! Fiber-fast! Reliable!  Enroll today!

10:20AM April 14, 2021

Listen as Loyd and Reid discuss the SEMO Electric Annual Meeting and GoSEMO Fiber.

4:49PM April 01, 2021

#GoSEMOFiber #playball Did you know you can watch the St. Louis Cardinals on GoSEMO Fiber’s Channel 302? Call 877-430-5418 for TV service.

8:02AM April 01, 2021

Today's GoSEMO Fiber Tutorial is over the streaming service Tubi! Tubi has a huge amount of content for $0-- this is no April Fool's joke, it's completely FREE! 

As with any streaming service, it's important to try it out yourself to see if the content fits what you like to watch. With Tubi being free, it's definitely worth a try! Some titles you may recognize on Tubi are Step Up, The Karate Kid, Daddy Daycare, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, & more.

7:25AM April 01, 2021

Co-op CEO Creates Uplifting Video Messages to Help Members Through Pandemic

CEO Sean Vanslyke began closing SEMO Electric Cooperative’s offices a year ago, when pandemic concerns were rising. He had no idea when members would be allowed in SEMO’s lobbies again, and every co-op staffer who could work remotely began settling into routines quickly developed to help reduce their risks of contracting COVID-19.

“People were just lost that first week or two, and I could see some people were struggling and emotionally stressed,” Vanslyke recalled. “I felt like I needed to do something to help keep people optimistic, maintain a sense of community and empower them.”

That prompted him to launch “The Friday Feature,” a series of self-produced short videos in which he finds positive and upbeat messages to share with friends, family, business associates and anyone else who tunes in. He shares the messages through social media channels, including LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. 

“I’ve always wanted to do something like that, but I never had something that pushed me forward like the pandemic, so I saw an opportunity to help people who needed some encouragement,” said Vanslyke. “The first week was hard, and there have been some fairly hard weeks in the past year, but it’s been personally rewarding to reach out and help people.”

Despite serious illnesses and deaths among family and friends and the ongoing challenges of running the Sikeston-based co-op and its GoSEMO Fiber broadband arm, Vanslyke has found at least one minute a week to focus on the positive.

“I shot the first five as selfies, and then my wife volunteered to help,” said Vanslyke. “She’s actually shot 36 of them for me. Only one video wasn’t shot on a Friday morning. We want the videos to be meaningful and authentic.”

The messages encourage viewers to find something to feel good about. While some are drawn from his experiences running the co-op for nine years, others are inspired by conversations and observations he has in his community.

“I carry index cards with me all the time, and I’m always scribbling ideas down and thinking about things,” said Vanslyke. “I have tried to keep them simple and direct and short. When I watch media now, I want people to get to the point and tell me what they have to share, so I’ve let that be my guide as well.”

As year two of the series gets under way, he’s considering expanding it to include brief interactive video exchanges with new audiences.

“‘Friends’ is a strange word in today’s climate because of COVID-19, but we’ve met a lot of associates and people. I like to read their stuff, and they like to read mine, and we trade ideas,” said Vanslyke, who hopes to write an inspirational book based upon the first year of his project. “Camaraderie and communications make getting through challenging times easier.”

Derrill Holly is a staff writer at NRECA

7:18AM April 01, 2021

6:18PM March 30, 2021

On March 31, the Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Midwest Plus channels will be changing branding/names to Bally Sports Midwest and Bally Sports Midwest Plus. The branding change is in name only and will NOT affect channel numbers. For the most part, all of the programming will also remain the same. All of the same teams will be covered on the channels despite the branding change. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHANGE FROM FOX SPORTS MIDWEST TO BALLY SPORTS MIDWEST.

Q: Why is the network name changing?

A: Sinclair Broadcast Group officially acquired the FOX Sports Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) in 2019. Sinclair was required to re-brand the networks as a condition of the acquisition deal. As part of the evolution of the acquired Regional Sports Networks like the Bally Sports Midwest Channel, Sinclair has partnered with the Bally's Corporation to re-brand the channel and enhance the sports viewing experience.

Q: Will the channel numbers for the Bally Sports Midwest and Bally Sports Midwest Plus change?

A: No. On GoSEMO Fiber television service, Bally Sports Midwest will still be channel 302, and Bally Sports Midwest Plus will be channels 303 and 304.

Q: Are there any changes to the teams carried on each network?

A: No. Viewers will be able to watch the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Royals and other local favorites on the new Bally Sports branded regional sports networks, just as they had before.

Q: Are there any programming changes or additions coming?

A: There have already been programming additions to the regional sports networks since the Sinclair acquisition became final last year and more original and live event offerings are on the horizon.

1:37PM March 30, 2021

Go beyond paper and start reading eBooks from your smart devices! Within the app, users can find over 1,000 eBooks, magazines, comics, and more included with Amazon Prime. Another neat feature with the app is the ability to customize text size, font type, margins, text alignment, and orientation (portrait or landscape)—and choose whether to turn pages from left to right or continuously scroll. This will allow you to read comfortably day and night with adjustable brightness and background colors. 
 
Along with your purchased reads from Amazon, the app also includes a vast section of free eBooks for your enjoyment!? Use your GoSEMO Fiber internet today to download the Amazon Kindle app via the App Store or Google Play Store. Let us know what your next read is below in the comments! Happy reading! 

9:37AM March 25, 2021

1:28PM March 24, 2021

Live with Classic KYMO discussing GoSEMO Fiber and SEMO Electric.  Discussion Topics:

• Preparing for Seasonal Storms
• Tree Trimming
• Member/Subscriber Business Spotlights
• SEMO Electric Member-Owner Annual Meeting
• GoSEMO Fiber Channel 95
• Thank you to our CEO and Board
• Wi-Fi Hotspots and ABConnect Program