Telecom continues growth

The Warm Springs Telecom is implementing a plan to serve visitors at Lake Billy Chinook.

This would be a new source of revenue for the enterprise, said Jose Matanane, Telecom general manager. The visitors at the lake would have access to the internet through a daily subscription, activated at a subscription site that appears as a splash page on their device.

Matanane gave this update to Tribal Council last week. Some other information from the Telecom update:

The enterprise now provides phone service to over 750 homes on the reservation, with over 1,000 customer lines. Some households, such as multi-generational homes, have more than one line through the Telecom.

The enterprise became profitable starting in February of last year, and has seen a steady increase in revenue since that time, Matanane said.

It is possible, he said, that the Telecom could provide a tribal dividend in 2017. Meanwhile, the Telecom is paying back the tribal Credit and Business Investment Revolving Fund (BIRF) loans that helped get the enterprise off the ground in early 2012.