Question 1

What is a Clamshell?

Accepted Answer

The Clamshell is a protective housing placed on a home or building to connect the drop to the inside Fiber cable/optic. Within this housing, CVCTX will make a splice to separate the two different cabling systems. This housing is also in place to allow CVCTX to troubleshoot cable without accessing your residence should a problem arise.

Question 2

What is a Fiber Conduit

Accepted Answer

The Fiber Conduit is a small orange conduit used to protect the Fiber Drop from rodents and shovels. The Fiber Conduit is not indestructible but does serve its purpose to help protect your cable.

Question 3

What is a Fiber Drop ("Drop")?

Accepted Answer

The Fiber Drop is a small black cable made up of one strand of glass from the pedestal to the Outdoor Unit (ODU) or commonly referred to as a Clamshell.

Question 4

What is a Fiber Optic Cable?

Accepted Answer

Fiber Optic Cables are bundles of glass strands independent of one another that carry signals from the transmitter to the receiver (i.e. CVCTX to customer, customer to CVCTX).

Question 5

What is a Optical Networl Terminal (ONT) or GigaCenter?

Accepted Answer

The ONT is the device in your home that terminates and receives the signal from your connected devices; Telephones and Internet capable devices. The ONT’s CVCTX is using are best-in-class with extremely powerful wireless signaling capabilities.

Question 6

What is a Pedestal?

Accepted Answer

The Pedestal is the green cylinder you see at property corners. The Pedestal contains all the cabling that services you and your neighbors.

Question 7

What are the steps to fiber installation?

Accepted Answer

During the fiber installation process, CVCTX will construct a network of fiber-optic cables which use light instead of electricity to carry a digital data signal. Installing Fiber has many steps – from building the network to construction and installation to your home:

Sign up online (let us know you’re interested)
 
Building the Fiber network

Construction plan for your community

Engineering & preparation

Underground investigation
 
Access rights to property
 
Permitting (local/state)

Depending on the location of your home, a county permit or state highway permit may be needed before your service can be installed. This may affect your service installation date, however, CVCTX works closely with agencies to get permits approved in a timely manner (as quick as possible).

Utility poles examination

Construction
 
Scheduling installations

Staking appointment – This appointment is different from installation appointment and may happen several weeks before installation. This will determine where the fiber drop to the home will be placed. Note…Someone will need to be home to meet the technician(s).
 
Home and business sites need to have electricity in place (not just a temporary connection) and walls up before any service or installation can be provided.
 
Installation appointment

Relax…It’s time to enjoy your Fiber service!

Question 8

What should I expect during the Fiber construction process?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the location of your home, a county permit or state highway permit may be needed before your service can be installed. This may affect your service installation date, however, CVCTX works closely with agencies to get permits approved in a timely manner (as quick as possible).
 
CVCTX will first install the main fiber lines along the roadway/highway. Think of this as the ‘main pipeline’ for the Fiber network.
 
Once the main line is installed, we will begin contacting you for your permission to install a smaller fiber line to your house.

Several weeks before scheduling an installation appointment, we will schedule a staking appointment. The staking appointment is to help us determine where the fiber drop to the home will be placed. NOTE…Someone will need to be home to meet the technicians.
 
Next, we will bury the fiber (through your yard or property) – connecting your house to the main fiber line. This is done with minimal disturbance to your yard and, in most instances, you do not need to be home. Discussions between customer and technicians will determine whether or not you will need to be present during the staking process.
 
After that, we will schedule a time that is convenient for you to be home so that we can complete the installation of equipment inside of your home.

After the equipment is installed at your home, you can start taking advantage of a much higher speed Internet!

Question 9

Do I have to be home when you install the fiber?

Accepted Answer

There are 2 parts to the installation:

The second part is the installation process (inside your home).
Yes. You will need to be home. We will work with you to coordinate a time that we can install the rest of the required equipment inside of your home.
 
The first part which involves burying the fiber line to your home (Fiber drop outside).
No. Our professional contractor team can take care of the outside portion as long as there’s no threat of injury, damage or dogs.

Question 10

Will the process of burying fiber disturb my yard or property?

Accepted Answer

Since CVCTX buries the fiber line in order to protect the cable from weather and accidental cuts, it is likely we will need to dig in your yard/property.  CVCTX will do everything we can to make sure to minimize any disturbance to your property, and we’ll work hard to restore your property as close to its original condition.

Question 11

Will my service be interrupted?

Accepted Answer

Because we do not disconnect your old copper wiring until the fiber installation is completed (equipment installed inside of your home), you should not experience any service interruption. When we install the equipment inside of your home, you will experience a very short outage while we change out the equipment, however you will be home when this occurs.

Question 12

What equipment will be installed in my home or business?

Accepted Answer

Network Interface Device (NID) on the outside of home/office (excluding fiber service)
 
Ethernet jack
 
Power/battery supply
 
Optical Network Terminal (ONT)

The ONT contains electronics that terminate the fiber-optic cable and converts the signals of light back into usable internet signals.

Question 13

Will I need to upgrade the wiring or equipment in my home?

Accepted Answer

When our technicians arrive to install the necessary conversion equipment inside your home, they will also check your inside wiring to see if any upgrades need to be made. If your wiring or equipment needs to be upgraded, your CVCTX technician can perform the work for you at that time or at later agreed-upon date. Additional costs may be associated with this service, so please speak with a CVCTX representative for estimates if applicable.

Question 14

Any suggestions or guidelines you would recommend preparing for installation?

Accepted Answer

Think about where you might like the equipment installed but stay open to suggestions from our trained technician(s).
 
If you have any devices that are currently connected to your modem/router using an Ethernet cable, consider the ideal location of these devices and where you want to locate your new CVCTX modem/router.  Depending on the layout of your home and where your new router is installed, you may need to run new wires to connect these devices.   Our Technician(s) can help you with additional wiring needs during or after your scheduled install at our low, hourly time & materials rate.
 
Clear your personal items out of the areas where you think the technician(s) might be working.
 
Make sure you have available power outlets to provide service to any new devices, including cable boxes, your modem/router, or any additional wireless access points.
 
Make sure permanent power is in-place and available the day of install – not temporary power for builders.

Question 15

If I express interest, am I obligated to purchase fiber services for my home or office?

Accepted Answer

No. The online ‘interest’ form is intended solely as a tool/resource for CVCTX to identify which neighborhoods have the highest interest in fiber services.
 
Note…Fiber installation can be an expensive undertaking for any communications company. Areas where CVCTX concentrates its efforts on building out networks first are based on density of requests. Be sure to share your interest and online sign-up with your neighbors. The more people in one service request area, the faster we can build to them.

Question 16

How do I get fiber to my home (Fiberhood) or business?

Accepted Answer

Once enough interest is shown within an area or neighborhood, we’ll start the pre-registration phase to determine the level of commitment within the neighborhood.
 
If there is sufficient interest, we’ll schedule the construction process in that neighborhood (Fiberhood).
 
We encourage anyone that is interested in Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) service to discuss the benefits with their friends and neighbors. Areas or zones that do not show significant interest may not be constructed.
 
The first step is sign up. Interested in fiber service? Sign up today.

Question 17

Why can't I have fiber at my house?

Accepted Answer

We love living in the rural area, but these wide-open spaces do present some challenges, especially when it comes to deployment of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. Some of the challenges that could prohibit or delay your access to FTTH include:

Time: The construction of a new FTTH network is a tremendous endeavor, especially in rural areas where the distances between homes can be great. The last mile of the internet is usually much more than a mile in our area, and describes the term for the last stretch of fiber that connects your home to the backbone of the internet, which is the series of networks that connect the internet across the world. To get this last mile of fiber to your home there are several steps involved, which include network design and Engineering, placing duct, blowing in fiber, setting pedestals, splicing the fiber, installing the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and testing. As you can imagine, it will take some time to reach many homes, which is why our FTTH project is being planned as a multi-year project. You may see existing fiber near your home that is potentially not part of our FTTH network but is instead part of our transport network. The transport network aggregates all of our customer data for delivery to the backbone and is not available for FTTH.
 
Distance/Cost: Fiber from one node in our network to your home may follow a circuitous route depending on terrain and available right of way off a county or state road. Other obstacles like buried fiber versus aerial fiber can dramatically affect costs, thus affecting availability of FTTH. We understand it can be frustrating when a home near yours can get FTTH but you cannot. Unfortunately, that may depend on existing network resources and your proximity to those. Further, in the rural area, your neighbor may be several thousand feet or more away and the cost of extending fiber from them to you could be tens of thousands of dollars. For example, our average cost to place transport fiber is $50,000 to $60,000 per mile.  The average cost for the last mile in our FTTH network is over $ 6,200 per customer.
 
Availability of Resources: There are many elements required in a FTTH network in order to deliver high speed internet over fiber. In addition to the fiber optic cables, these elements include conduit, cabinets, optic terminals, optical amplifiers and more.  Internet Service Providers (ISPs) of all sizes are competing for these resources, which can cause shortages and delays to our construction. Interruptions to the supply chain can further delay access to these resources and thus delay the delivery of FTTH to you.

These factors and more could contribute to FTTH not being available at your home yet. After all, there is a reason the larger providers aren’t deploying a fiber network in our rural communities. We appreciate your patience as we build out our fiber network.
 
In the meantime, we also deploy other technologies to provide broadband Internet where FTTH is not available. Improvements in DSL and Fixed Wireless technologies allow us to offer more bandwidth than ever before over these platforms and we take this into consideration when building our network. As technology continues to evolve, so will our network, so that you may have the best internet experience and experience all the best that comes with life in the country.

Question 18

What is Aid to Construction?

Accepted Answer

In situations where costs to deliver service are over and above costs for standard installation, an additional payment known as “aid to construction” may be required in addition to the standard installation fee. This additional fee will cover a portion of the costs of the facilities required to deliver service. If it is determined that aid to construction is required at your location, a company representative will work with you to communicate the payment amount. Construction will not begin until this process is complete and payment has been received.

Question 19

Is there an additional monthly cost?

Accepted Answer

CVCTX SmartHome is included at no additional monthly cost for customers on eligible GIG+ internet plans. A compatible CVCTX router is required to access the full suite of SmartHome features. Contact CVCTX for current router pricing and package availability.

Question 20

Is there an additional monthly cost?

Accepted Answer

CVCTX SmartHome is included at no additional monthly cost for customers on eligible GIG+ internet plans. A compatible CVCTX router is required to access the full suite of SmartHome features. Contact CVCTX for current router pricing and package availability.

Question 21

What happens if I get a new phone?

Accepted Answer

Simply download the CommandIQ app on your new device and sign in with your existing account.

Question 22

What if I forget my password?

Accepted Answer

Use the &#8220;Forgot Password&#8221; option on the login screen to reset your password.

Question 23

What if I'm having trouble connecting?

Accepted Answer

Try these quick steps:

Restart your router.
 
Make sure you&#8217;re connected to your CVCTX Wi-Fi network.
 
Update the CommandIQ app.
 
Restart your mobile device.

If you still need assistance, contact CVCTX Technical Support.

Question 24

Can I manage smart home devices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CommandIQ integrates with several SmartHome services and allows you to manage supported devices from one convenient location.

Question 25

What is HomeOfficeIQ®?

Accepted Answer

HomeOfficeIQ helps keep you connected when your primary internet connection is unexpectedly interrupted. By setting up a backup internet source—such as your mobile phone&#8217;s hotspot or another compatible wireless connection—in the CommandIQ app, your compatible CVCTX router can automatically switch to that connection during an outage.

Question 26

Can I test my Wi-Fi speed?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Run internet speed tests directly from the app to monitor your connection and troubleshoot performance.

Question 27

What is ProtectIQ®?

Accepted Answer

ProtectIQ provides automatic cybersecurity protection for every device connected to your home network by helping detect and block online threats before they reach your devices.

Question 28

Can CVCTX see what websites I visit?

Accepted Answer

No. CVCTX does not monitor your personal browsing activity. The SmartHome app provides network management and security features while respecting customer privacy.

Question 29

What types of devices are protected?

Accepted Answer

ProtectIQ helps protect:

Wi-Fi connected appliances
 
Computers
 
Smartphones
 
Tablets
 
Smart TVs
 
Gaming systems
 
Security cameras
 
Smart home devices
 
Streaming devices

Question 30

Do I need antivirus software if I have ProtectIQ?

Accepted Answer

ProtectIQ provides an additional layer of network security, but CVCTX still recommends keeping antivirus software and device operating systems updated. Many smart devices can&#8217;t run antivirus software, making network-level protection important.

Question 31

What is ExperienceIQ®?

Accepted Answer

ExperienceIQ helps families manage screen time by allowing you to:

Manage online time

Set internet schedules

Pause internet access

Filter age-appropriate content

Assign devices to family members

Question 32

Can I pause my kids' internet?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can instantly pause internet access for specific devices or family members with a single tap.

Question 33

Can I set bedtime schedules?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can instantly pause internet access for specific devices or family members with a single tap.

Question 34

Can I block inappropriate websites?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ExperienceIQ includes content filtering options to help block websites based on age and content categories.

Question 35

Can I create different rules for each child?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Create individual profiles for each family member and customize screen time, schedules, and content filtering based on age and needs.

Question 36

Can I temporarily pause the internet during dinner or homework?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can pause internet access instantly or schedule recurring offline times.

Question 37

Can I improve my gaming or streaming experience?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The app allows you to prioritize bandwidth for gaming, streaming, or work so the activities that matter most receive the best available performance.

Question 38

What can I do with the CommandIQ app?

Accepted Answer

With the app you can:

Receive notifications about your network

View every device connected to your Wi-Fi

Change your Wi-Fi name and password

Create a guest network

Run internet speed tests

Pause internet access for individual devices

Prioritize important devices

Monitor network performance

Question 39

Can I see who's connected to my Wi-Fi?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The app displays every device connected to your home network, making it easy to identify unknown devices.

Question 40

Can I change my Wi-Fi password?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can update both your Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password at any time directly within the app.

Question 41

Can I create a guest Wi-Fi network?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can create a separate guest network to keep visitors connected while protecting your personal devices and information.

Question 42

What is CVCTX SmartHome?

Accepted Answer

CVCTX SmartHome is a premium Wi-Fi experience that gives you more control over your home network. Using the CommandIQ® app and a compatible CVCTX router, you can manage your Wi-Fi, monitor connected devices, protect your family online, improve performance, and receive advanced security features—all from your smartphone.

Question 43

Do I need a CVCTX router?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A compatible CVCTX router is required to access SmartHome features such as ProtectIQ®, ExperienceIQ®, HomeOfficeIQ®, and advanced network management.

Question 44

Do I own or rent my CVCTX router?

Accepted Answer

Your router options may vary depending on your service package. Contact CVCTX for current equipment options and pricing.

Question 45

Can I use my own router?

Accepted Answer

You may use your own router for internet service, but SmartHome features require a compatible CVCTX-managed router..(Command IQ only works with Calix routers)

Question 46

How do I access SmartHome?

Accepted Answer

For customers on qualifying Gig plus service plans, Simply download the CommandIQ® app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign in using your account information. Once connected to your compatible CVCTX router, you&#8217;ll have access to your SmartHome dashboard.

Question 47

What is the CVCTX Fiber project?

Accepted Answer

Colorado Valley Communications Fiber Project is an exciting undertaking where we bring Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) and Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) technology to homes and businesses in-and-outside our cooperative service area. This fiber technology will allow our members/customers to have access to ultra-fast, ultra-reliable internet service.
CVCTX, and our Board of Directors, have committed to a substantial fiber expansion project in order to address and accommodate the internet needs of our members/customers by facilitating considerable upgrades to the network infrastructure.

Question 48

How will Fiber Benefit me?

Accepted Answer

A fiber connection will provide you with a fast, reliable and high quality connection with virtually unlimited streaming capabilities for all your online activities. Here are some ways fiber could benefit you:

Super fast speeds (uploads/downloads)

Reliably stable connections

Enough bandwidth to connect all your devices to Wi-Fi

Unlimited Internet usage (no data caps!)

Virtually no maintenance

Improved productivity

Less vulnerability to glitches or interference – even from weather

Secure voice and data transmissions

Enjoy a better experience with entertainment, work and other online activities like:

streaming movies and music

online gaming

shopping

telehealth

cloud storage

online research/education

work from home

and much more

Question 49

What is bandwidth (internet speed)?

Accepted Answer

Think of bandwidth or internet speed as traffic on a highway. In your home, each device can be considered a car on the road. Each device or car causes increased congestion. The more bandwidth or the more lanes, the more freely traffic can flow. The goal for a great customer experience is to have more available bandwidth than required by the end-user.

Question 50

How much bandwidth do devices require?

Accepted Answer

CVCTX has internet packages for every need. As a ‘general’ gauge, here are some download speed requirements based on everyday online activities:

Check email and basic internet browsing (2 or fewer devices): 1-5 Mbps minimum

Stream HD content (2 or fewer devices): 15-25 Mbps minimum

Stream 4K content and online gaming: 40-100 Mbps minimum

Question 51

What's the difference between copper cables and fiber?

Accepted Answer

Fiber is the most reliable technology available that also provides unprecedented connection speeds that is not limited by the distance of your location to certain network elements. Fiber optic infrastructure delivers data via light signals through small, flexible glass wires and is unmatched in terms of reliability relative to any other internet service, voice or video delivery method.
DSL is an internet connection provided via copper lines that, while also reliable, is limited in the speed available as determined by the distance of your location to the remote or DSLAM in the network. Currently the maximum speed available over DSL is generally 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload with some faster speeds available in some areas, but this availability will be determined by the location of your home or business. Depending on your internet needs, this may be plenty of bandwidth for the services you use.
Whether getting service over copper or fiber, Colorado Valley is continuously working to provide the best telecommunication experience for our customers.

Question 52

What is a local call?

Accepted Answer

A local call is a telephone call made within a specific geographic area, known as a &#8220;rate center,&#8221; without incurring a long-distance or toll charge.
If a call you are trying to make is not local, you will hear a message letting you know that your call cannot be completed as dialed.

Question 53

Which exchanges can I call locally?

Accepted Answer

The following exchanges may call Borden, High Hill, Hostyn, Moravia, Plum, and Warrenton as a local call. Additionally, you can generally make local calls between the rate centers listed below.
 
979-725 (Weimar): You can call Flatonia, La Grange, and Schulenburg locally.
 
From your CVCTX number:
 
979-263 (Borden): You can call Weimar locally.
 
979-404 (Fayetteville): You can call La Grange locally.
 
979-212 (Giddings): You can call Dime Box, Lexington, Northrup, and Paige locally.
 
979-561 (High Hill): You can call Schulenburg locally.
 
979-247 (Hostyn): You can call La Grange locally.
 
979-206 (La Grange): You can call Fayetteville, Flatonia, and Weimar locally.
 
979-562 (Moravia): You can call Hallettsville and Schulenburg locally.
 
979-242 (Plum): You can call La Grange locally.
 
979-743 (Schulenburg): You can call Flatonia and Weimar locally.
 
979-249 (Warrenton): You can call La Grange locally.

Question 54

What are the calling rates for popular international destinations?

Accepted Answer

Making an international call is a great way to stay connected, but understanding the rates is important. The following is a list of our rates for some of the most popular countries. All rates are listed per minute.
 
Please Note: Rates can change, and the prices below are for informational purposes. For the most current rates, please call us.

Alaska: $0.29
 
Argentina: $0.12
 
Austria: $0.12 (Landline), $0.49 (Cell)
 
Canada: $0.12
 
Costa Rica: $0.13 (Landline), $0.17 (Cell)
 
Germany: $0.24 (Landline), $0.53 (Cell)
 
Hawaii: $0.29
 
Mexico: $0.29 (Landline), $0.39 (Cell)
 
Netherlands: $0.12 (Landline), $0.43 (Cell)
 
New Zealand: $0.12 (Landline), $0.72 (Cell)
 
Panama: $0.44 (Landline & Cell)
 
Puerto Rico: $0.27
 
South Africa: $0.15
 
Sweden: $0.12 (Landline), $0.45 (Cell)
 
United Kingdom (UK): $0.12 (Landline), $0.40 (Cell)
 
Uruguay: $0.23 (Landline), $0.47 (Cell)
 
Zimbabwe: $0.20 (Landline), $0.45 (Cell)

Need a quote for a country not on this list? If you need a quote for a country that is not listed above, please give us a call. Our team can provide you with the most up-to-date pricing.
 
Call us at 242.CVLD (2853) or toll-free at 1.877.242.CVLD (2853).

Question 55

Where can I find Terms and Conditions for Long Distance Service?

Accepted Answer

You can find the full Terms and Conditions for Long Distance Service here: Terms and Conditions for Long Distance Service

Question 56

Where can I find all the essential technical settings, password requirements, and account limits for my CVCTX email service?

Accepted Answer

This fact sheet provides the complete inbound (IMAP) and outbound (SMTP) server settings, SSL/TLS requirements, maximum mailbox quota (15GB), message size limits (100 MB), recipient limits, and rules for creating a strong password.
 
CVCTX Email Fact Sheet

Question 57

What are the key changes and troubleshooting steps I need to know about after the recent email system conversion?

Accepted Answer

This document provides guidance on post-conversion access, including rebooting devices, how to access the Webmail and eScout Spam Filter , explains that usernames with a dot (.) are now provisioned with an underscore (_) for login, and advises users how to address the potential re-downloading of old or duplicate messages.
 
CVCTX Post Conversion Information

Question 58

How do I set up my email on my mobile device?

Accepted Answer

Android Information
 
Apple Information

Question 59

How can I manage Spam?

Accepted Answer

CVCTX eScout FAQ

Question 60

What is the Access Recovery Charge (ARC)?

Accepted Answer

As permitted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, the Access Recovery Charge enables telecommunications providers to recover a limited portion of revenues lost due to FCC-mandated reductions in intercarrier payments. This charge helps keep the cost of your local service affordable.

Question 61

What is the Basic Local Service charge?

Accepted Answer

Basic Local Service is a monthly charge for the dial tone that allows you to make and receive telephone calls. It also includes the right to be listed in the telephone directory and to receive a copy of the directory.

Question 62

What is the Federal Subscriber Line Charge?

Accepted Answer

This is a monthly charge on your local telephone bill that helps local telephone companies recover some of the costs associated with the telephone lines connected to your home or business. This fee is regulated and capped by the FCC. It is not a tax or a fee charged by the government.

Question 63

What is the Federal Universal Service Fee?

Accepted Answer

This is a charge prescribed by the FCC to help keep local telephone service rates affordable for all customers across the United States. The funds support programs that make sure people in rural areas, low-income customers, and schools and libraries have access to telecommunications services.

Question 64

What is the Texas Universal Service Charge?

Accepted Answer

This is a state-specific charge that is a percentage of intrastate telecommunications service receipts. The purpose of the Texas Universal Service Fund is to ensure that all residents of Texas can afford to obtain basic telecommunications services.

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