We’re on a Roll With Fiber Deployment Huxley is connecting more rural businesses to the speed and reliability of fiber internet. 5 Ways Your Business Can Benefit from Fiber 3 Business Spotlight: Huxley Communications 4 Understanding How Fiber-Optic Cable Works 6 Why Choose a Local Internet Service Provider? 7 INSIDE CONTENTS BUSINESS connections SPRING 2026 VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 1
2 SPRING 2026 The Business Connections newsletter is a publication of Huxley Communications — Connie M. Patrick, Editor— Contact Us Huxley Office Hours Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Madrid Office Hours Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone Numbers Local: 515-597-2281 US Toll Free: 800-231-4922 Email huxtel@huxcomm.net Internet Support 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week 515-597-4357 (HELP) Mailing Address Huxley Communications PO Box 36 400 S. Main Ave. Huxley, IA 50124 www.huxcomm.net Copyright © 2026 by Huxley Communications and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. Welcome to the first issue of Business Connections! You’re receiving this magazine from Huxley Communications because your business is located in an area we now serve or will serve soon. Our goal is to introduce you to Huxley Communications—if we haven’t yet had the chance to meet in person—and get you up to speed on the advantages of our fast and reliable fiber internet and other services. On page 3, check out 5 Ways Your Business Can Benefit from Fiber. As you’ll see, much faster internet speeds are at the top of that list. On pages 4 and 5, you’ll find a Business Spotlight on Huxley Communications, which includes a look at our company’s past, shares our fiber plans for the future, and describes the services your business will benefit from today. In subsequent issues, the Business Spotlight will be on one of our business customers. Understanding How Fiber-Optic Cable Works is the main topic on page 6, followed on page 7 with several answers to this question: Why Choose a Local Internet Service Provider? We hope you enjoy Business Connections and are inspired to enhance the internet technology at your business. Please let us know if you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation. Sincerely, Levi Bappe General Manager Huxley Communications BUSINESS connections
SPRING 2026 3 BUSINESS connections 1. Much Faster Internet Speeds Internet service providers with fiber networks can deliver speeds that greatly surpass other network technology types. For example, Huxley Communications offers business internet plans of up to 2.5 Gig—equal to 2,500 Mbps—in some locations. Remember, employees waiting on slow internet inhibits productivity, so make sure the speeds at your business are fast enough for current demand. 2. More Effective Cloud Access Most businesses use the cloud in some capacity, from customer relationship management (CRM) tools to data storage. Fiber internet’s speed and bandwidth capabilities provide faster access to your data and applications stored in the cloud. For example, you’ll be able to quickly access cloud-hosted information via your software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools and provide better service to customers. 3. Higher Reliability Because it’s an inert substance, fiber is impervious to weather conditions, electrical surges, radio waves, and other environmental conditions that can result in signal loss and failure. In addition, the newest networks are being built with fiber, and fiber networks are therefore less apt to suffer the adverse impacts of age. Given the fact that downtime can bring your communications and productivity to a halt, doesn’t your business need the higher reliability of fiber? 4. Symmetrical Bandwidth Fiber provides symmetrical bandwidth, meaning the upload and download speeds are equal. With fiber internet, your employees can send data out just as fast as they can download it, which is particularly vital if your business routinely uploads large files. 5. Minimal Latency Latency is a term used to describe delays that occur while processing data over an internet connection. Fiber internet eliminates many of the latency issues, particularly when downloading or uploading video or high-definition content. The business benefits of lowering your latency could include better voice quality for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) users and the ability to move more apps to the cloud. For details on the fiber internet plans available from Huxley Communications, visit www.huxcomm.net/business-internet. If fiber is available to your business location, you’ll want to strongly consider taking advantage of it. Fiber connectivity offers important advantages to companies of all sizes, including: Get connected to a fiber network to boost productivity 5 Ways Your Business Can Benefit from Fiber
4 SPRING 2026 BUSINESS spotlight Fiber Means Business Levi Bappe, General Manager, said, “Unlike traditional broadband, fiber offers symmetrical speeds. Upload speeds are just as fast as download. Businesses can move large files, back up data to the cloud, host virtual meetings, and manage online systems without lag or bottlenecks. Fiber is also significantly more stable and less susceptible to interruptions. That reliability allows businesses to confidently run cloud-based software, VoIP phone systems, security systems, and point-of-sale platforms without worrying about outages disrupting operations. With fiber, teams can support multiple high-definition video calls, remote employees, and real-time collaboration tools simultaneously.” Bappe continued, “Fiber enables businesses to adopt technologies they may have avoided before including cloud-hosted servers, advanced cybersecurity systems, smart building controls, AI tools, and possibly large-scale data storage. Instead of planning around internet limitations, they can plan around opportunities.” In addition to fiber internet, Huxley Communications also offers the SmartBiz™ network with a simple dashboard for managing your network, Point of Sale, staff access, and customer Wi-Fi from anywhere. A Growing Service Area Huxley Communications now connects more than 5,000 members across communities and rural areas in Alleman, Ankeny, Bondurant, Cambridge, Elkhart, Granger, Huxley, Kelley, Luther, Madrid, Maxwell, Sheldahl, and Slater. We continue to expand our fiber-optic service areas and will soon include other communities as well. At Huxley Communications Cooperative, we don’t just provide service. We provide a legacy. Since our founding in 1937 as a member-owned Cooperative, we’ve stayed ahead of the curve—from being the first in Iowa to bring fiber to the home to now maintaining a quality team with over 230 years of combined experience. Our 100% fiber-optic services include extremely fast and reliable business internet that’s a game-changer for productivity and efficiency. Huxley Communications We’re here to keep your business connected
SPRING 2026 5 BUSINESS connections This map shows the areas involved in our fiber build and which stage in the process they’re currently in—Interest, Sign Up, Main Line Construction, Construction, or Fiber. For a closer look at the details, go to www.huxcomm.net/huxley-fiber-areas. While our services are impressive in their own right, what takes them to an even higher level is the Huxley Communications support behind them. Our local team of professionals are committed to maintaining a personal touch while delivering exceptional customer service and responsive tech support. Unlike most other national providers, Huxley Communications doesn’t make you wait days or weeks for assistance. We’re right here to help, whenever you need us. After all, we know how vitally important it is for your business to stay connected and stay productive. “I am incredibly proud of our Huxley Communications staff, that doesn’t just keep up with technology but embraces it with a level of local expertise you simply won’t find anywhere else,” Bappe said. Take the First Step Are you a builder interested in having Huxley Communications install fiber-optic cable in a new development? The first step is to contact our office directly. From there, you’ll be connected to our Construction Supervisor to begin coordinating the project. Our knowledgeable team will review development plans, discuss timelines, evaluate site requirements, and outline the necessary steps to ensure proper infrastructure installation. Often, our portion of a development is completed weeks, if not months ahead of schedule. Is your business interested in Huxley Communications services? Call us at 515-597-2281 or visit www.huxcomm.net to start the conversation by filling out a brief online form. We’ll discuss your current setup, challenges, and goals. For some businesses, we schedule an on-site visit to evaluate the existing infrastructure, building layout, connectivity needs, and any specialized requirements. Based on that assessment, Huxley Communications will provide recommendations for your internet, which could include our managed Expert Wi-Fi or SmartBiz services. Once a date is set, our team handles installation and setup. We’ll coordinate with your business to minimize disruption and ensure everything is properly configured and tested. After installation, our local support is always available for questions, troubleshooting, and future growth needs.
6 SPRING 2026 Over the last 20 years or so, fiber-optic lines have taken over the telecommunications industry, primarily to increase the speed of digital information transmission. When fiber-optic cable replaces copper wiring, it also dramatically lowers costs, increases the datacarrying capacity of internet connections, and improves both phone clarity and streaming video quality. To help you understand the basics of how a fiber-optic cable works, we’ll start with this example: Imagine a flexible plastic pipe that’s several miles long with its insides coated with a perfect mirror. Now imagine you’re looking into one end of the pipe and several miles away at the other end, a friend turns on a flashlight and shines it into the pipe. Because the interior of the pipe is a perfect mirror, the flashlight’s light will reflect off the sides of the pipe, and you will see it at the other end. If your friend were to turn the flashlight on and off in a Morse code fashion, your friend could communicate with you through the pipe. That is the essence of how a fiber-optic cable works. However, making a cable out of a mirrored tube would be bulky and difficult. That’s why fiber-optic cable is actually made out of incredibly pure glass, so pure so that even though it is several miles long, light can still make it through. This glass is drawn into a very thin strand with a thickness comparable to that of a human hair and then coated in two layers of reflective plastic. A light source—typically a laser—switches on and off rapidly at one end of the cable to transmit digital data. The light travels through the glass strands and continuously reflects off the inside of the mirrored plastic coatings in a process known as total internal reflection. Systems based on fiber optics can transmit billions of bits of data per second, and they can even carry multiple signals along the same fiber by using lasers of different colors. Huxley Communications is expanding our fiber network. Visit www.huxcomm.net/huxley-fiber-areas to learn more. Understanding How Fiber-Optic Cable Works Debunking Claims Made by Satellite and 5G Providers You may be hearing misleading statements from providers offering satellite or 5G wireless internet. Let’s set the record straight. Claim #1: Satellite is just as fast as fiber. The Truth: In real-world performance, fiber internet is consistently much faster in both download and upload speeds than satellite internet. Satellite providers often promise fast “up to” speeds, but they fail to disclose that network congestion or inclement weather can significantly slow things down. Claim #2: 5G works great everywhere. The Truth: While 5G can work well in cities with tower saturation and flat, unobstructed terrain, the same isn’t true elsewhere. In rural areas, 5G often requires line-of-sight, and the farther away you are from a wireless tower—or the more trees and hills between you and the tower—the worse your signal gets. Claim #3: Fiber is too expensive. The Truth: Fiber internet is an excellent value and can be more affordable for your business over the long haul by avoiding the costs of service interruptions, slower uploads, and outages. Have questions about fiber internet from Huxley Communications? Call 515-597-2281.
SPRING 2026 7 BUSINESS connections Living and working in the same community as your internet provider may be even more beneficial than you realize. A local Internet Service Provider (ISP) can offer many advantages over national competitors including these: Why Choose a Local Internet Service Provider? Knows the Community A local ISP is deeply rooted in the community and has connections, relationships, and the local knowledge nationally owned companies simply do not have. It knows how the community operates, what it needs, and how to get things done efficiently. It’s also invested in the success of its residents and fellow businesses. A local ISP will be the first to advocate for your needs and the last to put profits before customer satisfaction. Lending a Hand When People Need It Because a local ISP is such an integral part of the community, it recognizes when a helping hand is needed. When the community is facing challenges, the management and employees of a local ISP jump in and help people move forward. For example, it may use community partnerships, grant funding, and its own investments to ramp up fiber installation in rural areas to foster economic growth. Provides Personal Customer Service A national ISP might have a fleet of technicians, but if their subcontractors are managed through a cumbersome bureaucracy, you could wait a long time to get service. By contrast, a local ISP will have local technicians and other local employees who can provide responsive customer service and faster turnaround on installations and maintenance. The staff at a local ISP is also more likely to develop an ongoing relationship with your business, which means you’ll spend less time explaining things before your problem gets solved. Create Flexible Solutions A local ISP isn’t limited by red tape and restrictions that are often found at a large corporation. This means a local ISP has the flexibility to spend whatever time is required to fully understand your needs and develop the best solutions to meet them. Cares About Your Success To a local ISP, you’re more than just a customer. You’re a neighbor. You’re someone their employees might see at the grocery store, a school event, or a Friday night game. That local connection means your satisfaction matters on a personal level, and the company is genuinely invested in your success and the well-being of the community. Huxley Communications is proud to be a local ISP and honored to serve you. To learn more about our community involvement, follow us on Facebook. Because local connections are so important
An All-In-One Solution Built for Your Business Staff Management Increases network security and simplifies staff device connectivity. CommandWorx Mobile App Enables you to monitor and manage your network from anywhere. Dedicated Wi-Fi Networks Isolate and prioritize network traffic while simplifying your infrastructure. Award-Winning Cybersecurity Constantly protects all connected devices from malware and intrusions. Network Resilience Ensures critical devices, like POS systems, stay online through unexpected disruptions. Content Filtering Protects you, your staff, and visitors from undesirable or malicious content. Customer Portal Wi-Fi Drives brand loyalty and can be used as a marketing tool for digital campaigns. Apply for SmartBiz today at www.huxcomm.net or call 515-597-2281 Get all this with SmartBiz:
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