Great Plains Communications (GPC), a top digital infrastructure provider in the Midwestern U.S., and the operator of a growing, privately-owned 16,500+ mile fiber network reaching 13 states, announced that it will continue to leverage government funding to expand its fiber services to underserved communities in Nebraska.
To wit, GPC has just been awarded an additional $2.8 million in funding from the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program by the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC).
The funds will be utilized to deploy fiber to 10 projects in various areas of Nebraska, with GPC providing a 25% funding match of nearly $940K.
Once the projects are completed, residents in at least 247 homes in underserved, rural Nebraska will receive access to fiber services, including symmetrical internet speeds up to 1 Gbps x 1 Gbps.
The Broadband Bridge Program was passed by the Nebraska legislature in 2021 to facilitate and fund broadband network development to unserved and underserved areas of the state. The Nebraska Public Service Commission is responsible for administering grant funding to providers for qualifying projects.
According to a press release, now that funding has been awarded, project planning for deployment will begin in January 2023. Under the guidelines of the program, projects must be completed within 18 months of the funding award date.
Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications, remarked:
“We are grateful for the Broadband Bridge Program funding that will help us continue to close the rural digital divide in Nebraska by bringing fiber to these unserved and underserved areas. We commend the Nebraska Public Service Commission for their leadership in administering these rural broadband programs as they continue to allocate funding to achieve broadband access for all Nebraskans regardless of where they live.”
Great Plains Communications is one of the largest privately-owned digital infrastructure providers in the Midwest and is headquartered in Blair, Nebraska. The company has over a century of experience providing business and residential customers in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and Southeastern Indiana communities with futureproof fiber-based technology services including high-speed internet, Ethernet, video, hosted and traditional voice systems. The company also takes pride in its progressive approach to accommodating the unique needs of all regional and national telecommunications carriers, LECs, ISPs, wireless carriers and other service providers utilizing superior engineering and custom-build strategies. At the core of its service offering is an extensive, MEF-certified 16,500+ mile regional fiber network that reaches 13 states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The network offers community access rings, last-mile and middle-mile solutions, all fully supported by the company’s 24x7x365 Network Operations Center.