Mid-Rivers

What Mid-Rivers does

Mid-Rivers Communications, legally Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc., is a member-owned telephone cooperative incorporated in Montana in 1952 that delivers broadband, telephone, and business connectivity services across roughly 30,000 square miles of Eastern and Central Montana. The company serves over 11,000 fiber-connected locations and operates from a Circle, Montana headquarters supported by seven service centers in Glendive, Lewistown, Miles City, Roundup, Sidney, and Baker. Its core technology stack is a hybrid telecommunications network spanning Fiber to the Premise (FTTP), cable modem, DSL, and VoIP, with fiber expanding rapidly under a multi-year rural build-out commitment tied to an Enhanced A-CAM Universal Service Funding award requiring 100% build-out by 2028.

The product portfolio is anchored by residential broadband (Wide Open Internet unlimited plans on FTTP/cable plus tiered DSL at $44.95-$99.95/month), landline telephone with backup battery support for outage resilience, and business services including Unified Communications VoIP hosted PBX with 911 location tracking and dedicated business connectivity. Customer-facing tools include the SmartHub/My Mid-Rivers web and mobile portal, the CommandIQ app, emailGUARD spam filtering, webmail, and a reseller relationship with Viasat for satellite coverage in unserved areas. Mid-Rivers exited cable video at the end of 2023, refocusing engineering and capital on fiber and voice.

The cooperative is governed by a Board of Trustees elected across districts under one-member-one-vote rules, with day-to-day operations led by General Manager/CEO Michael Candelaria. Revenue is generated through recurring monthly internet, voice, and equipment subscriptions, plus ancillary offerings such as Lifeline low-income assistance at a $9.25/month discount. Excess margins are allocated to patrons as capital credits and retired periodically ($2.09M in 2025 vs. $1.13M in 2024), with over $57M returned historically. The company reinvests heavily in infrastructure, executing an estimated $30-35 million annual capital budget through 2028 with no outside private equity or parent ownership.

Name

Mid-Rivers

Legal name

Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://midrivers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Mid-Rivers Communications is a Montana telephone cooperative providing broadband, telephone, and business connectivity services across 30,000 square miles of rural Eastern and Central Montana via fiber, cable modem, and DSL infrastructure, serving residential and SMB members under an Enhanced A-CAM rural build-out commitment through 2028.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Telecommunications Services

NAICS

All Other Telecommunications (5178)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)

Keywords

• Rural broadband services
• Fiber to the premise
• Telephone cooperative
• Business VoIP solutions
• Telecommunications infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Circle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Internet Services: Monthly subscription internet services including unlimited Wide Open plans with usage-based billing and plans with monthly data allowances. Revenue generated from base monthly rates plus per GB usage fees and overage charges.
2. Telephone/Voice Services: Landline telephone services including local calling, long distance, and voice-only plans. Revenue from monthly service charges and usage-based long distance fees.
3. Business Connectivity Solutions: Voice and connectivity solutions for business customers including VoIP hosted PBX systems, providing recurring subscription revenue from business service contracts.
4. Capital Credits (Patronage Dividends): As a cooperative, excess revenue over operating costs is allocated to patrons as capital credits based on patronage. These are retired and distributed to members as per cooperative bylaws. In 2024, $1,134,545.95 in capital credits were retired; in 2025, $2,090,583.26 was distributed.
5. Equipment Fees: Fees for customer premise equipment including modems, routers, and mesh units, charged when equipment is taken from original premises or damaged beyond normal wear and tear.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mid-Rivers Communications is a member-owned telephone cooperative delivering broadband internet (fiber, cable, and DSL), landline telephone, business VoIP/connectivity, and streaming TV services across rural Eastern and Central Montana. Core offerings are sold via monthly subscriptions and usage-based billing, supported by SmartHub/My Mid-Rivers account management tools, an Enhanced A-CAM fiber build-out obligation, and a Lifeline low-income assistance program.

Product overview

Mid-Rivers Communications is a telephone cooperative providing telecommunications services across Eastern and Central Montana. The company operates as a cooperative structured business offering a portfolio of services centered around internet access (including DSL, cable modem, and fiber), telephone service, and business connectivity solutions. Core products include Wide Open Internet (fiber/cable unlimited plans), traditional DSL tiers, business voice solutions using VoIP/hosted PBX technology, and business connectivity services. The product ecosystem includes customer-facing management tools SmartHub/My Mid-Rivers and CommandIQ mobile apps, plus data management features. Lifeline low-income assistance and streaming TV are supplementary offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• My Mid-Rivers: Customer account management mobile and web application (also known as SmartHub) for managing services, billing, and account access.
• CommandIQ

Products and services

• Internet Service Residential and business internet service offerings delivered over DSL, cable modem, and Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) facilities with tiered speeds (DSL up to 40 Mbps; fiber up to ~1 Gbps) and the unlimited Wide Open Internet plan for rural Montana subscribers.
• Telephone Service Residential landline telephone service with battery backup support during power outages, 911 emergency connectivity, unlimited local calling, and low-income standalone voice options with free toll blocking, available across the Montana service territory.
• Business Voice Solutions (Unified Communications VoIP) Voice over IP (VoIP) hosted PBX telephone system for business customers across Montana, featuring Find Me-Follow Me, Device Twinning, and emergency 911 location tracking for compliance with multi-line telephone system requirements.
• Business Connectivity Solutions Enterprise-grade connectivity solutions providing security and reliable internet/data services for small and mid-sized businesses operating across Mid-Rivers' Eastern and Central Montana service area.
• Streaming TV Television streaming services available as an add-on to Mid-Rivers internet subscribers across the cooperative's service territory.
• Lifeline Low-Income Assistance Program Federal Lifeline low-income assistance program offering a $9.25 monthly discount on qualifying internet or bundle services for residential subscribers, with larger discounts on Tribal Lands, waived deposits and equipment fees, and standalone voice options with unlimited local calling and free toll blocking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11,000 rural locations now connected to fiber
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MP NexlevelminorOthers · 26 March 2025Contractor engaged by Mid-Rivers for Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) construction projects. MP Nexlevel is performing the Circle North and Circle South projects in 2026, representing over $22 million in fiber construction.
• ViasatminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMid-Rivers acts as a reseller of Viasat satellite services in select areas where terrestrial broadband is not available. As a reseller, Mid-Rivers has no control over the network management practices enforced by Viasat.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• SpaceX Starlink: Low-earth-orbit satellite broadband rapidly expanding across rural Montana, directly competing for the same underserved residential customers Mid-Rivers targets with fiber. Threatens the cooperative's exclusivity in remote service areas.
• Viasat: Satellite broadband provider that Mid-Rivers already resells in unserved areas of its territory. Adjacent competitor using a different delivery technology to serve the same rural broadband demand, increasingly relevant with Starlink's expansion.

Direct peers

• Nemont Telephone Cooperative: Montana-based telephone cooperative serving northeastern Montana with broadband, voice, and business services. Closest geographic peer to Mid-Rivers with similar cooperative structure and rural fiber deployment obligations.
• 3 Rivers Communications: Montana rural telephone cooperative providing broadband, voice, and business connectivity. Closely comparable member-owned telco serving similar rural Montana geography with federal USF support.
• Blackfoot Communications: Western Montana cooperative delivering broadband, voice, and managed services to rural communities. Directly comparable cooperative peer operating under similar USF/A-CAM programs with overlapping fiber expansion strategy.
• Triangle Communications: Montana rural telephone cooperative providing fiber, voice, and broadband across north-central Montana. Directly comparable member-owned telco with similar regulatory funding model and rural FTTP build-out mandate.
• Range Telephone Cooperative: Montana rural cooperative providing fiber-to-the-home, telephone, and broadband in southeastern Montana. Comparable member-owned telecom with similar A-CAM build-out dynamics and rural customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Consolidated Communications: Major rural and regional fiber broadband provider with significant FTTP deployment in small markets across the U.S. Overlaps in rural broadband product/customer profile but operates at much larger scale and is investor-owned.
• TDS Telecom: Large investor-owned rural/regional telecom operating fiber and broadband across multiple states including Montana. Comparable product set but broader geographic footprint and corporate (non-cooperative) structure.
• Lumen Technologies: National incumbent telecom and fiber backbone provider serving enterprise and residential customers. Comparable voice/connectivity offerings but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio than Mid-Rivers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midriverscomm
• Facebookfacebook.com/midrivers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mid-rivers-communications
• Instagraminstagram.com/midriverscommunications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mid-Rivers