Bascom Communications of Bascom, Ohio, was the recipient of the Outstanding Business Award at the TSEP 2019 Annual Meeting March 7, 2019.

Bascom Communications was formed in 1906 by a group of farmers wanting to bring voice services to rural Tiffin and Fostoria. In 1953, it became a co-operative company, and since 2000, the company has returned more than $4.7 million in capital credit refunds to its membership.

In 2003, they began offering a fiber optic connection directly into customers’ home and in 2018, they became a certified gig-capable provider by NTCA. In 2018, they worked with Seneca County for formulate their new fiber ring to improve 911 services.

Bascom Communications plans to invest almost $2 million in fiber to provide services to areas southeast of Tiffin, downtown Tiffin, northeast of Tiffin and into Fostoria.

About the Outstanding Business Award
The business must be able to demonstrate leadership in their particular field. The business must be able to show the involvement of its owners, managers, or employees in community affairs. The business must be able to demonstrate generosity of time, talent, and money to local charities or non profit programs. The business must be able to show initiatives taken to improve the quality of life in the community. The business must be able to show activities that improve the community.