(LTC), a family-owned Independent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC), was purchased in 1950 by Harry Lee, Sr. Their son, Harry Jr, along with Harry Sr., Violet, and numerous switchboard operators, operated and maintained a 200 plus landline customer based telephone company out of their home in LaHarpe. Their home not only housed the switchboard and all of the switching equipment to support their custom
ers but was the business office for customer service and all other business transactions. During this period, most customers were on either a 4 or 8 party line. In 1972, LTC built a new office housing a mechanical switch, eliminating the switchboard technology. At the same time, aerial cable and limited underground cable was installed, replacing many of the 4 and 8 party lines for single party lines. From1979 to 1981, LTC underwent another evolutionary change. 100% of the aerial outside plant was replaced with buried outside the plant. 200 plus miles of underground cable was installed, giving every customer a single party line. This not only gave customers “private lines”, but they also realized a higher quality of service. In 1987, LTC, along with many other ILECs across the nation, had an opportunity to participate in an FCC lottery for licenses to build and operate cellular telephone services. LTC, in conjunction with 27 other Kansas ILECs, formed a management company to explore and eventually participate in the lottery process. The outcome was that LTC and the 27 Kansas ILECs won a majority of the rural Kansas licenses, allowing them to build and operate cellular telephone service across rural Kansas. LTC and the 27 ILECs formed a new company, Kansas Cellular, that provided cellular telephone service in all of rural Kansas. LaHarpe Communications, Inc. (LCI), was formed in 1989 to manage and provide retail service for a newly acquired cellular telephone service that was obtained by LaHarpe Telephone Company, Inc. (LTC), an Independent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC). Since 1989, LCI, a non-regulated corporation, and LTC, a regulated corporation, have partnered to provide state of the art telecommunication, cable TV, and broadband services to the citizens in the LTC service area. Because of regulatory difficulties LTC would have to overcome to manage and provide cellular telephone services, LCI was formed to perform those functions. LTC and LCI share facilities and employees. From 1990 to 1999 LCI aggressively provided retail cellular telephone service, providing cellular service to customers throughout Eastern Kansas. Because of innovative marketing practices and a high level of customer service, LCI became a very successful cellular telephone service provider with a reputation for having superb customer service. In 1999, Kansas Cellular was sold to Alltel.
1993 brought yet another technological change to LTC. With the advent of a growing customer base, the demand for services that the mechanical switch could not provide, and the requirement for CALEA, a digital switch was installed. This technology brought customer desired features such as call waiting, call forwarding, speed dialing, etc. It also gave customers the choice of having a touch-tone phone versus a rotary dial. Dial-up internet was introduced to the LTC customers in 1995. Because the internet is a non-regulated service, LCI partnered with LTC to provide this service. LTC can boast that its customers had access to the internet before neighboring communities of larger size had access to the World Wide Web. It was shortly after 1996 that LTC hit its all-time high of 415 landline telephone customers. However, a year later cellular telephone services started taking the place of traditional landline telephone service, causing an erosion of LTC’s landline customer base. In 2000 LCI purchased the CATV system that served the LaHarpe community. At the time of purchase, the coaxial system had less than 8 paying customers and 24 channels. Within 6 months, the customer base jumped to 80 customers and 42 channels. Since that time, the CATV system supports 130 plus customers who enjoy 60 plus channels of quality programming.
2004 through 2005 were “history-making” years for LTC. It was during this time that LTC built a fiber to the home (FTTH) outside the plant and upgraded to the latest generation of digital switching. LTC was the first telephone company in Kansas, and probably
among the first in the nation, to provide this type of service to all their customers, both in the city of LaHarpe and the surrounding rural area. At this time the CATV and internet services provided by LCI and the telephone services of LTC were combined and distributed over the fiber network, giving customers a new concept of service called the “triple play”. Today, LTC provides landline telephone services more than 240 customers, with the majority subscribing to CATV and broadband. LTC and LCI continue the process of upgrading the digital switch, the FTTH electronics, and it's broadband offerings. These changes will continue to provide LTC customer base with the most advanced services available. LCI, through its subsidiary, Newwave Broadband, serves over 300 customers with reliable and robust internet thru fixed wireless technology. These individuals live in Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, and Woodson counties. LaHarpe Telephone Company, Inc. / LaHarpe Communications, Inc. six (6) employees are encouraged to be active in the community, government, and civic organizations. To date, the employee’s collectively have served in the following capacities: LaHarpe City Council members, Mayor of the City of LaHarpe, LaHarpe Volunteer Fire Department, LaHarpe Lions Club, and Pride members, USD #257 Board of Education members, Allen Community College Trustee, numerous county oversight committee’s, and Allen County Regional Hospital Board of Directors. Two (2) employees are recent veterans of the War in Iraq, both serving two (2) tours in Iraq. LaHarpe Telephone Company was recently recognized as the 2018 Kansas Small Business Development Center (at Pittsburg State University) Existing Business of the Year. A recognition ceremony was held at the Kansas State Capital in Topeka on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
