At WCTA, our mission is to deliver innovative technology, reliable connections, and hometown service that empower our members and help our communities thrive.
Built By Our Members, For Our Members
Since 1950, Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association (WCTA) has been connecting homes and businesses in Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota. Today, we proudly connect 38 communities with 100% buried fiber, reliable technology, and trusted hometown service. We believe strong connections build strong communities, and our work is guided by a simple idea: when our members succeed, our communities thrive.
(1951) Dale Jacobson presents the co-op’s service area following the consolidation of the first nine exchanges.
Our team is more than employees. They are your neighbors, friends and local leaders. They volunteer on fire and ambulance departments, serve on city councils, and support schools and community organizations throughout the region. Their commitment reflects the same values that have shaped WCTA for decades.
(2023) WCTA proudly supports local high school eSports programs, including the Lake Mills High School team pictured here.
At WCTA, being connected is about more than fast Internet. It is about people, progress and the power of community. Every connection we make strengthens the bonds that hold our communities together and helps everyone flourish.
(2025) WCTA employees gather in Lake Mills to celebrate the co-op’s 75th Anniversary with a special “75” formation photo.
OUR SERVICE AREA
Rooted in Community. Built for the Future. See the communities WCTA proudly serves.
THE COOPERATIVE CIRCLE
WCTA is built by and for its members. You own it, you guide it, and you share in its success. The Cooperative Circle shows how every part of our cooperative works together. From our members to our locally elected Board of Directors and our dedicated staff, each piece plays a vital role in keeping WCTA strong and serving our communities. Through this member-led structure, nearly $27 million in patronage dividends have been returned to the people who make WCTA possible – our members, our neighbors, our community.
Learn More About a Cooperative
Members
Own and receive service from WCTA. They elect fellow members to represent them as the Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Set policies and rates. The Board provides oversight and direction to the CEO
Employees
Serve the cooperative members with professionalism and integrity
CEO
Directs the daily operation of the cooperative through the employees
A LEGACY OF CONNECTION
Proudly Serving Members Since 1950
WCTA began in 1950 when locals came together to bring dependable phone service to rural North Iowa. Guided by that same spirit of cooperation, our network has grown and evolved, now featuring a 100% fiber system to prepare for the future. From these beginnings, our timeline highlights the milestones and moments that shaped the cooperative and the communities we serve.
Jan 15
The Winnebago Cooperative Telephone Association was established with Glenn Bergland named manager.
Dec 30
The Rake telephone exchange became the first exchange in Iowa – and the 3rd in the nation – to be “cut over” to the new modern dial telephone service by a rural telephone company.
Mar 22
March 1966 brought the worst sleet and snowstorm in decades to the Winnebago area. 160 miles of downed lines and 3,000 customers without service led to the Cooperative’s decision to construct a stormproof buried system.
Jan 06
Jan 01
Checks totaling $104,519.33 were issued to Cooperative members in the first dividends previously deferred for 1950-1961.
Jan 01
The Hanlontown switch building was destroyed by a natural gas explosion. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Jan 01
WSSI (Winnebago Satellite Services, Inc.) was created as a subsidiary of WCTA to conduct new DirecTV offerings.
Jan 01
Jan 05
WCTA begins its Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) project, replacing copper lines with fiber optic cable to deliver faster internet, enhanced digital TV and a future-ready network.
Jan 09
Aug 01
WCTA employees gather in Lake Mills to celebrate the co-op’s 75th Anniversary with a special “75” formation photo.