COMPANY PROFILE History

NorthStar Access is a telephone company (competing with Qwest) offering local dialtone for the phone in your home or business, long distance, and innovative Internet services including broadband fast Internet (DSL) called iZoom. We're dedicated to serving Cambridge, Elk River, Otsego, Princeton, Mora, and North Branch--all with local offices for easy access.

NorthStar Access was started in 1998 from a partnership of two companies with long histories of serving the outlying areas of these cities*. Connexus Energy and Sherburne Telesystems partnered to create NorthStar Access. In 2002, NorthStar Access became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sherburne Telesystems, a company that has over 50 years experience in the telecommunications arena.

*The FCC deregulated the local telephone service industry in 1996 when it became legal for companies like NorthStar Access to compete to be your communications service provider. Before 1996 consumers only had one choice for their home or business phone service, much like other utilities like electricity, gas and water. The reason for telecommunication industry deregulation is to allow the free market to drive faster development of advanced products and services. Ultimately the goal is to allow consumers to have access to advanced technology in metropolitan and rural areas alike, letting the free market drive affordable innovation.