CLEARWATER, Kan. (November 16, 2021) – Local broadband provider SKT will break ground on a rural fiber project north of Clearwater later this year, continuing their significant investments across their 10,000 square mile rural service area. With fiber, SKT will provide up to 50 times faster speeds than what’s offered with the existing copper infrastructure.
In addition to giving residents access to the bandwidth needed for remote work, education, telehealth, entertainment, online shopping, and more, residents could see up to a 7% increase in home value with the addition of fiber connectivity, according to research done by FTTH Council Americas.
This project is part of a greater initiative by both SKT and Twin Valley – together the largest family-owned broadband provider in the state – to improve connectivity for rural Kansans. Earlier this year, they made a pledge to their communities and customers to provide the most reliable network with internet options at the best value, hometown customer service, and meaningful outreach initiatives.
“When it comes to advocating for cutting-edge communications and connectivity for rural Kansans, SKT and Twin Valley have been industry leaders for more than 75 years,” SKT & Twin Valley President & CEO Ben Foster said. “We have made intentional infrastructure investments to help rural families, businesses, and communities thrive for generations, and this project reflects our commitment to offering the most reliable network.”
Twin Valley was among the first in the nation to offer rural high-speed internet, and together with SKT they provide fiber service in 17 Kansas communities. This will be SKT’s fourth fiber project to begin in 2021, which will bring the total SKT fiber-connected homes and businesses to nearly 1,500 in the Clearwater and surrounding rural areas. In addition to multi-million-dollar investments in fiber, SKT has invested in broadband infrastructure upgrades in communities throughout its territory.
For project updates, visit SKTC.net/newsroom or subscribe to the SKT email list.
