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Bridging the digital divide in Nebraska begins with efficiency

One of Nebraska’s largest broadband providers says efficiency is the key to connecting the state’s ag producers with reliable internet.

CEO of Great Plains Communications Todd Foje tells Brownfield the cost of laying fiber-to-home cable in rural Nebraska is the biggest challenge. “Distance and cost are functions of each other,” Foje says. “When you get out into the rural, ranch areas, and large farms, etcetera and you start spreading customers out then you have a lot of cost and a lot of distance between customers and gets more challenging.”

At the Nebraska Ag and Economic Development Summit, he tells Brownfield the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for service. “Everybody want’s it now, right? It’s a little difficult and it takes time to get all this done and it’s difficult to meet all those expectations, but a lot of people are trying to do so.”

He says local, state and federal government grants and partnerships could help speed up installation. “But there is still a lot of work to be done.  Nebraska is a big state, a lot of area, a lot of geography to cover and a lot of people spread a lot of different ways.”

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts signed a $20 million broadband bill this last session.

Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications: