KwiKom Communications of Iola was recently awarded a $331,985 grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Broadband Development.
Zachery Peres, president of KwiKom, said in a press release the grant, which KwiKom will match, will go toward expanding fiber optic Internet access for homes, businesses and schools in Thayer, Altoona and Fredonia.
“We are excited to partner with the State of Kansas through this private/public investment to expand Internet access,” Peres said.
The Broadband Acceleration Grant program was created in fall 2020 to bring critically needed broadband access to communities through a competitive matching infrastructure investment program. This is the initial year of the 10-year $85 million initiative funded in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program. This initial round of $5 million in grant awards are matched with $5 million in private contributions from the awardees.
“The efficient infrastructure deployments enabled through these grants is vital to making scarce funding dollars stretch as far as possible by building on previous successes in our pandemic response programs,” said Stanley Adams, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. “Governor Laura Kelly recognizes that robust broadband access is necessary for all communities, and I appreciate her commitment to this effort. As a result, many more Kansans will be connected.”
Headquartered in Iola, KwiKom provides Internet and telephone service in over 45 counties in Kansas and Missouri.
