Nehalem
Telecommunications Company History
The
Nehalem Bay area has been able to contact the rest of the world
by telephone since 1910. It is difficult to determine the exact
inception date of the Nehalem Telecommunications because of the
lack of annual reports prior to 1916. The following timeline provides
a history of telephone service in the area.
1906
- Original Construction began
1910
- Telephone service first available. Corporation controlled by
Wheeler Telephone.
1917
- W.J Meade, owner of company; number of subscribers increases
during next 4 years, from 46 to 205.
1925
- Company is sold to O.F. Knight and H.V. Alley. A decrease
in customers (because of the Depression) from 205 in 1925 to 133
in 1938.
1939
- Oregon Utilities purchases the company. Under J.D. Langman,
company president, a lack of maintenance and plant expansion led
to Public Utility Commission hearing in 1942 because of serious
service deficiencies.
1946
- J.U. Kreitler and F.A. Nitchy form Nehalem Telephone and
Telegraph corporation and purchase company. 194 subscribers.
1950
- Telephone service in the area again reached a state of deterioration.
The absence of adequate maintenance and lack of operating capital
to repair the problems made it necessary for the company to secure
additional capitol through a stock offering. Several area residents
including Dr. Robert Rinehart, Harvey Rinehart, Dan Cary, Edwin
Hatch and Dr. Dorothy White-Rinehart purchased stock and served
on the Nehalem Telephone board of directors.
1952
- John Dillard employed as manager. Vastly improved condition
of company. 305 Subscribers.
1955
- First dial equipment installed. 390 Customers, most on four
or ten party lines.
1964
- Lee and Vicky Dillard begin management of NT&T.
1965
- Original switch installed ten years earlier is filled to capacity.
1966
- New Switch building constructed and new switch installed.
1967
- Customer count up to 680.
1976
- Nearly 1,000 customers, and continued customer growth expected.
NT&T made major additions to meet needs. A loan of over $1
million was necessary for additional switching equipment, burying
of outside lines and building a new business office.
1978
- Above projects completed. Customer count was 1,192.
1979
- Customer growth continued, switch and building soon filled to
capacity. The company received an additional $1.3 million loan
to replace switch with digital switch, bury the balance of outside
lines. NT&T makes history as one of the first independent
telephone companies to install fiber optic cable.
1984
- Above projects completed. Customer count at 1,559.
1990
- Customer growth continues with count at 1,911.
1991
- Improvements to NT&T's services continue; remote switch
installed in Neah-Kah-Nie. Company serving over 2,000 customers.
1992
- NT&T conducts customer surveys, and is rated excellent or
good by 97% - one of the highest ratings the survey company had
ever seen. Long distance equal access takes affect.
1993
- Growth and changes continue with over 205 single wire miles
added. Petition filed with PUC for "Extended Area Service"
(EAS) to Rockaway, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Cannon Beach and Seaside.
The request was denied because the community of interest criteria
of the PUC were not met. "1+10" digit dialing takes
affect for all in-Oregon long distance calls.
1994
- New remote switch equipment installed in North Manzanita; over
82,600 feet of new cable is buried. Customer count over 2,500.
1995
- NT&T offers Voice Mail service, DIRECTV division established,
and NT&T becomes internet service provider.
1998
- NT&T sells DIRECTV division to Pegasus.
2000
- NT&T begins offering DSL, enabling customers to have high
speed internet access.
2001
- Customer count is over 3,300. NT&T began fiber optic cable
project in order to provide route diversity and broadband services
to all of customers.
2003
-NT&T becomes Nehalem Telecommunications, Inc.
Nehalem
Telecommunications
has experienced almost 50 years of prosperity under the Dillard
family management. The company will continue to provide the area
with the highest quality telecommunication services and advanced
technology available.
