About McNabb Communications, Inc.
The first telephone line in Putnam County was installed April 4, 1896. It was installed by Abel Mills and his sons on Quaker Lane, just outside the Village of McNabb, Illinois. The line was one and a half miles in length. Trees were cut from the Southerland Timber and used as poles to install the lines.
It took five and a half days to install the one and a half miles of wire. Not long after this, lines were added connecting 10 central offices which included: McNabb, Lostant, Tonica, Leonore, Granville, Hennepin, Cedar Point, Wenona, and Magnolia.
The Central Office was moved from Abel Mills’ residence into McNabb, and was organized as McNabb Telephone Company. McNabb received its first charter on July 3, 1901, and began selling shares of stock @ $30 per share to all persons in and around McNabb who had telephones. A board consisting of 9 directors was elected to organize, build, and direct the company. The company at this time had 125 subscribers.
The directors’ first job was to set up rules and guidelines for telephone subscribers. They were as follows:
- Rule #1: A subscriber could make calls to a doctor or undertaker at any time.
- Rule #2: If a subscriber used profane language or became unruly, he could be disconnected.
- Rule #3: No calls can be made on Sundays from April to December between the hours of 7:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
In 1924, McNabb Telephone Company ran a line to meet with Granville Telephone Company.
In 1931, telephone access rates were as follows:
- $15/year for Party Lines
- $25/year for 2-Party Lines
- $35/year for a Private Line
In 1967, the directors voted to install a new Analog Step Switch and go all one-party service.
In 1985, the directors voted in favor of entering into the world of cable T.V. and formed a second corporation called McNabb Cable & Satellite Inc. Four CATV systems were built: Cedar Point, Malden, Kickapoo, and McNabb. The first three were sold off over the years, and McNabb’s was shut down in 2015.
In 1996, another subsidiary was formed and called McNabb Long Distance, Inc. The company would compete with all the large carriers: AT&T, Sprint, MCI, etc.
In 1996, a holding company was formed and called McNabb Communications, Inc.
In 1999, an Internet affiliate was formed and called McNabb Internet Connections, Inc. It would be one of the first companies in the area to offer high-speed DSL to its telephone subscribers.
In 2005, McNabb Internet Connections started offering Wild Blue, a satellite Internet service reaching out to rural America for those customers who did not have access to high-speed internet. In 2011, Viasat bought Wild Blue and became Exede Satellite Internet. Due to increased fiber and DSL expansion around the area, and the availability of Low Earth Orbit satellite service, the company discontinued offering Excede in 2026.
McNabb Telephone Company began fiber optic construction in 2011 with the goal of eventually converting the entire exchange from copper to fiber. After 15 years and approximately 110 miles of fiber optic cable, this was completed in 2025, allowing the company to increase internet speeds to all customers. McNabb Internet Connections also started installing its own fiber optic facilities to reach customers outside the telephone company boundaries. This included connecting all of the Putnam County School District buildings in 2023.
When McNabb Internet Connections first started offering “Hi Speed” DSL service, 512Kbps and 768Kbps internet speeds were available. This was impressive at the time compared to dial-up internet. Starting in July of 2026, the lowest package became 100Mbps upload and download, and the highest package is 1000Mbps upload and download.
To help celebrate our 125th anniversary in July of 2026, McNabb Telephone Company made the decision to drop the requirement of having a landline telephone in order to subscribe to internet service.
We are proud to be a part of the McNabb Community, and strive to be a full-service provider of communication to all who live in and around the community.
Today, McNabb Telephone Company continues to look for ways to be successful in a very competitive environment.