November 19, 2018
The GVTC team talks about how the Texas broadband provider has evolved, the successes and challenges to serving rural areas, and a longstanding commitment to their employees and their communities.
Tell us about GVTC.
We originated as a telephone provider serving the Texas Hill Country area. Today, we’re a full-service communications provider offering high-speed Internet, digital cable TV, phone and interactive home security monitoring to residential and business customers in a 2,000 square mile region encompassing Far North San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, and South Central Texas. Our services also have expanded to include wholesale carrier transport between San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston, with unique access to remote Texas markets. We know how valuable your time and relationships are. That’s why we’ve dedicated our lives to providing superior communication services in the hopes of enhancing the quality of life in our local communities. GVTC also has received numerous awards for business excellence, including being named a Top 100 Broadband Provider in Broadband Communities Magazine for six consecutive years and earning the San Antonio Express-News and San Antonio Business Journal’s Best Places to Work award five times. Our charitable arm, The GVTC Foundation, also exists to serve our communities, donating over $2.8 million to worthy causes since its establishment in 2006. So, while we may be new to you, know that you’re already valued in our eyes. We’re in the business of serving our communities in the best ways we know how. So, let us connect you.
What is your biggest or most recent corporate accomplishment?
2018 has been a tremendous year for GVTC Communications. In an effort to provide the best experience and services to our customers, we’ve committed to expanding our FTTH to as many people as we possibly can. Our biggest accomplishment is our 2004 commitment to a build a Broadband centric—not telephone centric—company, building all new plants as FTTH since then, moving 25/3 availability to 77% of customers, 75% with FTTH. Our most recent accomplishment is having 70% of our customers connected to our managed Wi-Fi device in their house allowing us to improve the customer broadband experience and drive additional revenue.
When you think about your company’s future, what, if anything, keeps you up at night?
The telecommunications industry is ever-changing, and staying ahead of the competition and pioneering the latest innovations in communication services is a challenge we gladly take on each day. However, GVTC consistently improves on strategic planning, execution, and measured results. We have a solid foundation for our business and a strong Strategic Plan based on a 15-year forecast that allows us to peer into the future and adjust accordingly. Our carefully mapped out projections and viable trend are the key takeaways.
What unique challenges does your company face while serving your communities?
Providing communication services to rural communities is always a challenge when you consider the viability of construction, signal strength, and impact. For GVTC, we do our best to make the impossible happen in areas some companies won’t bother touching—and that’s where we stand apart. We are dedicated to providing the best services in our area and fortifying it as much as possible to reach the maximum number of households. Our customers expect urban broadband speeds in their rural communities with urban pricing. This, however, is only viable with federal and state support. We need regulatory certainty, including the ability to understand the future funding levels, to make a solid business plan. It’s a challenge for many, but we believe GVTC is an industry leader in providing the latest communications services to the communities we serve.
What are two websites that you can’t get through the day without checking?
The Wall Street Journal & San Antonio Business Journal