About Us

Our mission is to provide affordable, quality communications to our members.

We do that by providing technology to connect you to your world.

This rural area of Indiana offers a quality of life that cannot be found in a city, but nearly everyone today, rural or urban, wants to be in touch with people, places and activities around the world.

We can get you there.

Our Core Values:

• We will serve our customers with honesty and integrity.

• We value our employees and recognize them as our most important assets.

• We will provide our professional staff with a caring work environment, training, and tools necessary to accomplish our Mission.

• We will be good stewards of the Cooperative's assets and offer services where they are technically and economically feasible, to ensure long-term financial viability.

• We will be good corporate citizens and strive to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve. 

History

Star City & Pulaski Exchanges

.Around the turn of the century a magneto switchboard was installed in Star City. Anyone desiring telephone service would purchase a line termination on the switchboard, but they had to build their own line to their home or business.

Around 1905, area residents Davey Fisher and Bill Jenkins formed a company and issued a $5 share of stock to each person who had a telephone. They sold the company to Charles McClure, William Clark and Gus King. Subscriber numbers increased substantially, and the Pulaski area was added to the company’s territory. They only owned the company for about three years, selling it to a Mrs. Davis. In 1912, after about one year of ownership, she sold it to Fred Hoover. Mr. Hoover died in 1916, and his sons Roscoe and Earnest assumed management. The Hoover family furnished service to the area from 1912 to 1954. In 1935 they converted the Pulaski exchange to dial service. This is believed to be one of the first dial systems in this part of the state.

Buffalo Exchange

The Buffalo Citizens Telephone Company was incorporated in 1914 to serve residents in the northern part of White County. The local men involved in the formation of the Buffalo Citizens Telephone Company were John Henry Baker, A. G. Coonrod, Cloyd Slyter, Joshua Fry, William Helfrich, Everett Bible, John Hinshaw, William Read, William Shell, John Fry, and James Malone.

The first exchange was in the Coonrod home with Mr. and Mrs. Coonrod handling the operation. The Jerry Mattix home was later purchased and the exchange moved there. For many years, service was provided during the hours of 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Men who served as president of the company over the years included John Henry Baker, John Fry, A.G. Coonrod, Harry Kepp, August Dryer, Otho Price, and Lloyd Van Meter.

The Exchanges Come Together

In 1956 Pulaski/White purchased the Buffalo Citizens Telephone Company. During 1957, a dial exchange was built both at Star City and Buffalo. The headquarters remained at Star City.

Pulaski/White Rural Telephone Cooperative

Pulaski/White was formed in 1954. The first officers were Darwin Sayers, president; Firman Haselby, vice president; Darl L. Good, secretary and John Binkley, treasurer. The first general manager was a Mr. Price, then Dan O’Conner took over in 1956. Darwin Sayers assumed management for a while, then Dick Knott, originally employed by GE, moved to this rural community to take charge. When he left, Bill Lewis handled the outside plant while Sandy Huffman looked after the office. In 1968 or 1969, Bill Lewis was appointed General Manager. According to Mr. Lewis, Pulaski/White was probably the first in the area to offer dial tone service (as opposed to magneto), and one of the first to offer direct long distance dialing. Pulaski/White was a pioneer in the provision of mobile and one-party service.

In 1970, Pulaski/White buried 127 miles of new cable and built additions to the Buffalo and Star City central offices to house new central office equipment. The modern cable and equipment allowed the company to offer private lines or four-party service anywhere within the exchanges.

Pulaski/White established extended area service from Buffalo to Monticello and Idaville, and from Star City to Winamac. The company also installed toll lines to the exchange boundaries and direct distance dialing for both service areas. In 1976, mobile telephone service went into operation.

Following deregulation, dramatic changes occurred. In 1982, contracts were awarded for the Buffalo and the Star City exchanges to bury new cable (one mile of aerial cable and 66 miles of buried cable) at the cost of $421,470. In the following year, two new digital-stored, program-controlled central office systems were installed. The system switched over in 1984. Some new conveniences were made possible by the modern switching, including call waiting, call forwarding, and speed calling.

In 1991, Pulaski/White expanded their operations by purchasing the former Society Bank building, located next to the main office in Star City. The business office was moved to the new location. Internet service was introduced in June 1996. This service extends to the Monticello, Idaville, Monterey and Winamac areas. Additional upgrades provided other Custom Calling and Class features, such as Automatic Recall (*69) and Caller ID. Fiber optic cable has replaced some of the older cable and AFC units have been installed throughout the territory. A subsidiary was formed in the last quarter of 1999. Pulaski/White Communications was established to provide a less expensive and a more convenient toll provider.

In 1997, William E. Lewis retired after 43 years of service to the company. On September 1, 1997, Chris A. Bonner joined the company as General Manager, now President/CEO. The current nine-member Board of Directors is made up from three individuals representing each district (Buffalo, Pulaski, and Star City).

Currently, Pulaski/White has a digital state-of-the-art central office and network system. The company provides service through a vast network of fiber optic cable as well as copper cable. The company purchased Aardvark Electronics LLC in Monticello, Indiana in November 2009. Aardvark is a retail dealer offering AT&T wireless, high end television and home theater, satellite radio, mobile audio and video systems as well as other electronic devices.

Coverage Area

Pulaski/White Rural Telephone Cooperative serves portions of Pulaski and White counties, providing telephone service for persons in the Star City/Pulaski (595) and Buffalo (278) exchanges.

Internet access is provided to most of Pulaski and White Counties. Dial-up service is available to the following exchanges: 542, 583, 943 and 946. High-speed DSL is available in the 278 and 595 exchanges, and wireless high-speed access is available in the Winamac area.

Cash Back: The Benefits Of Membership

You receive cash back for being a member and for using some of our services. This cash comes to you through our Capital Credits program.

You don't have to do a thing. Just use PWRTC telephone services. We use profits from our customers as working capital, so starting a few years after your membership begins, you may begin to receive cash back on an annual basis.

The more you utilize services, the larger your reward. The following services are eligible for the cash-back program:

• Having telephone service (a dial tone) with PWRTC.
• Subscribing to DSL access to the Internet.
• Using any of our telephone calling features.

 The Board of Directors must approve all capital credit payments.