FIBER FINANCING
Broadband is an investment in your home value and quality of life - explore flexible financing options to fit your budget. Pick one, or combine the two!
Switch It Up!
Pay over time, right on your power bill
OPALCO incentivizes CoOp members to reduce their power usage by offering low interest rate, on-bill financing for energy efficiency improvement projects - appliance upgrades, solar and battery projects, weatherization - and yes, even fiber optic internet service! How does fiber help with energy efficiency? Well, with OPALCO's Switch It Up program, you can finance your fiber build on your power bill, so long as you also install an energy smart device that needs an internet connection - smart thermostat, electricity usage monitor etc.
How does it work?
The first step is getting a fiber build estimate from Rock Island, or from a contractor of your choice. Then, submit your estimate to OPALCO and let them know you want to utilize the Switch It Up program to finance your fiber build. They'll guide you in selecting the right smart home device for you (or confirm that you already have a qualified device in place). OPALCO will provide you with a letter of authentication that your project is eligible for the Switch It Up program. Submit a copy of this letter to Rock Island, and you're ready to roll. ​When we receive your fiber request with the Switch It Up letter from OPALCO, we'll send your work order to one of our preferred contractors to get started on your project. The contractor will be paid in full by OPALCO, and you'll start paying down your project in installments on your power bill.
Financing terms
Projects costing up to $5000 total will be paid back over a 5 year term. Projects over $5000 have a 10 year term. All Switch It Up projects incur just 3% interest. If you sell your home, the remaining payments due are taken over by the new homeowner/CoOp member - the debt stays with the meter, not with you.
Contract Incentive
We'll cover it - just enjoy Gigabit Service for a year
More than 6,000 homes in our community can connect to fiber optic service for $3000 or less - and our Contract Incentive Program was designed specifically with them in mind. We're making it easier than ever to bring fast, reliable internet home by doubling our standard contribution from $1500 to $3000 - once you're connected, just commit to our Gigabit service for a year.
How does it work?
Rock Island has always covered up to $1500 of our labor and materials cost for every fiber connection. This covers everything after the contractor installs the conduit - pumping fiber into conduit, splicing it into our network, installing the NID etc. Now, with our Contract Incentive Program, we'll double that contribution to $3000, and it can go toward contractor fees as well! When you get your fiber build estimate, it will come in the form of two work orders: - A Contractor work order covering their labor and materials for trenching fiber conduit to your home. - A Rock Island work order for our labor and materials including fiber, splicing etc. If you've signed up for the Contract Incentive, Rock Island will use our $3000 contribution to cover our cost first, with the remainder going toward the contractor's fees. (Unless your driveway is very long, you're most likely going to have over $1500 going toward trenching cost). When your service is installed, you'll be activated at our Gigabit service level with a monthly rate of $185. All fiber services have a one time activation fee of $150. When your 12 month term is up, you may change your rate plan if you wish, or stick with the Gigabit plan - up to you.
Financing terms
You must sign a contract agreeing to take our Gigabit rate plan for 12 consecutive months, at a rate of $185/month. Contract must be signed before construction begins. Rock Island's $3000 contribution covers Rock Island labor and material cost first, with the remaining balance being applied to Contractor fees. Any contractor cost not covered by Rock Island's contribution must be paid by the homeowner. Service must be activated within 2 months of excavation completion. After the agreed upon 12 month term the customer may change their rate plan if desired.