Blair, Nebraska, Dec. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Great Plains Communications (GPC), a leading Midwestern digital infrastructure provider with a growing, privately owned 16,500+ mile fiber network reaching 13 states, today announced they have been awarded more than $2.8M of Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program funding 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 will have access to fiber services including symmetrical internet speeds up to 1 Gbps x 1 Gbps.
“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 areas,” said Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications. “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.”
The Broadband Bridge Program was passed by the Legislature in 2021 to facilitate and fund broadband network development in unserved and underserved areas of Nebraska. The Nebraska Public Service Commission is responsible for administering grant funding to providers for qualifying projects.
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.
About Great Plains Communications
Great Plains Communications is one of the largest privately-owned digital infrastructure providers in the Midwest and is headquartered in Blair, Nebraska. It has over a century of experience providing business and residential customers in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and Southeastern Indiana communities with forward-thinking, fiber-based technology services including high-speed Internet, Ethernet, video, hosted and traditional voice solutions. 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. For more information, visit www.gpcom.com.
