Hill Country Telephone Co-op Backs Its Students, From Friday Night Lights to Venture Fest
On The Building Texas Show, host Justin McKenzie sits down in Ingram with Madysen McDonald of Hill Country Telephone Cooperative (HCTC) to talk about the co-op's $10,000 donations to each of 26 schools in its service region, its tents at Friday Night Lights games, and the students taking the pitch stage at Hill Country Venture Fest in Mason.
Ingram, TX (Newsworthy.ai) Saturday Oct 31, 2026 @ 7:37 AM CDT
The Building Texas Show — How Texas Youth Are Changing The Game at VentureFest
Photo: Justin McKenzie
"They come up to us all the time and they say, 'Hey, my parents have HCTC. We love you.'" — Madysen McDonald, Hill Country Telephone Cooperative
On the episode of The Building Texas Show titled How Texas Youth Are Changing The Game at VentureFest, host Justin McKenzie visits Ingram to talk with Madysen McDonald of Hill Country Telephone Cooperative (HCTC) about how a rural telephone co-op shows up for the students in its footprint, from the football stands to the pitch stage. The conversation is also on YouTube.
McDonald says HCTC decided the time was right to give $10,000 to each of the 26 schools across the regions it serves. "There's a lot of communities right now that need it," she says. HCTC is "really excited to see how they can use that money to help them and help their students."
The Building Texas Show — How Texas Youth Are Changing The Game at VentureFest
Photo: Justin McKenzie
"They come up to us all the time and they say, 'Hey, my parents have HCTC. We love you.'" — Madysen McDonald, Hill Country Telephone Cooperative
On Friday nights, HCTC sets up a tent near the ticket gate at games such as Comfort vs. Ingram and Mason vs. Junction, handing out trinkets for fans on both sides and giving away HCTC prizes. McDonald says the kids are especially excited to visit. "They come up to us all the time and they say, 'Hey, my parents have HCTC. We love you,'" she says. HCTC tries, she adds, to connect with young fans on their level and support members' kids as much as it can.
Those same students are the ones McKenzie expected to see on stage at Hill Country Venture Fest in Mason, where he was emcee. He says pitching a business in front of hundreds of people builds resilience. McDonald shares the excitement: "I can't wait to see how these kids' brains are working."
The episode also covers what HCTC provides across a service area that runs from Ingram to Fredericksburg and out to Big Lake, including Mason, Sonora, Junction and El Dorado. The co-op started with landline service and expanded into fiber and fixed wireless, which reaches ranch properties where running fiber from the gate is not practical. McKenzie notes that a landline can still matter when cell service goes down and someone needs to call 911. New residents can learn more at HCTC.net, call 830-367-5333, or visit local offices in Sonora, Mason and Junction.
For McDonald, the co-op difference is personal. HCTC employees live in the communities they serve, so members see them at the grocery store and at T-ball games. The best way to give back to HCTC, she says, is to show up at its events and stay connected through its Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages. McKenzie closes on the cooperative spirit: when the business is local, the money goes back into the community's kids, teams and events like Hill Country Venture Fest.
Watch or listen to the full conversation on The Building Texas Show episode page.
About The Building Texas Show
The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, tells the stories of the founders, community leaders and projects shaping Texas, from economic development and small business to conservation and education. New episodes publish weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, with highlights on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at @thebuildingtexasshow. Watch, listen and subscribe at https://www.buildingtexasshow.com and https://www.youtube.com/@thebuildingtexasshow.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is HCTC doing for schools in its service region?
- Hill Country Telephone Cooperative is donating $10,000 to each of 26 schools across its service region. Madysen McDonald explains that HCTC leadership decided now was the right moment to support communities that need it, and the cooperative is eager to see how each school puts the funds to work for its students during the current school year.
- Which football matchups will HCTC show up at this season?
- McDonald highlights Comfort vs. Ingram and Mason vs. Junction as upcoming games where HCTC will set up a tent near the ticket gate. Staff hand out trinkets branded for both sides of the matchup, throw footballs with kids, and give away HCTC prizes to fire up fans and reinforce that the co-op is a neighbor, not a distant vendor.
- What areas does Hill Country Telephone Cooperative serve?
- HCTC's footprint stretches from Ingram to Fredericksburg and out to Big Lake, taking in Mason, Sonora, Junction, El Dorado, and more. The co-op operates local offices in Sonora, Mason, and Junction, so members in each community can walk in and speak with someone who lives and works in that same town.
- How can new residents sign up for HCTC service?
- New members can visit HCTC.net and type in their address to see the exact fiber, fixed wireless, or landline options available and the pricing for each. They can also call 830-367-5333 to speak with someone directly, or stop by the local offices in Sonora, Mason, or Junction to talk with a neighbor on staff.
- Why does HCTC still offer landline service in 2026?
- McKenzie and McDonald point to 911 reliability as the core reason. When cell networks go down, the twisted-pair telephone system keeps working, which matters on remote ranches and in homes with kids. McDonald says she was initially surprised landlines were still in demand, but quickly understood why rural members value that backup connection.
- Why does the cooperative model matter for a rural internet provider?
- Because members are also owners, dollars stay in the community and fund things like the school donations, football tents, and VentureFest. McDonald says HCTC treats members like family — customers run into staff at the grocery store or T-ball games — which is why the co-op is often the top recommendation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and the Neighbor app.
- What is Hill Country VentureFest and why is it featured in this episode?
- VentureFest is a Mason-based event where Hill Country students pitch business ideas on stage in front of hundreds of people. McKenzie, who is emceeing, frames it as a resilience-building program that teaches kids to be entrepreneurs, and HCTC's school donations and football-sideline presence tie directly into supporting the same young people who take the pitch microphone.
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