Nex-Tech Blog

In 2023, Nex-Tech was awarded over $2.2 million through the Kansas Capital Project Funds (CPF) Broadband Infrastructure Program to bring broadband access to one of the most underserved regions in Kansas: a 99% unserved area in rural Saline County. Nex-Tech matched this amount, contributing an additional $2,293,000 to the project. Thanks to this vital funding, Nex-Tech was able to construct the necessary infrastructure to deliver high-speed fiber broadband to this rural community, a transformative step forward for both residents and businesses.

The need for high-speed broadband in rural northwest Kansas has never been greater, and our mission of connecting families, businesses, and communities has never been clearer. These all came to life recently in the towns of Oberlin, KS, and Herndon, KS. We had customer sign-up events in both towns, where we invited residents to dinner, answered their questions, and signed them up to our fiber network.

Ella Burrows recently joined our community economic development team as a summer Intern through the Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth program. Ella embodies the energy, optimism, vision, and drive typical of our western Kansas youth, and we are proud to introduce her to you.

Interconnectivity, interoperability, networking, or whatever you call it. People have to listen to people. Institutions have to listen to institutions. Leaders have to listen to leaders.

Nex-Tech continues to connect more communities to fiber optic broadband. Recently, I had a great time with our customer acquisition team as we had two customer sign-up events in Clayton and Kirwin, KS. Nex-Tech will be connecting these communities with high-speed, fiber-optic Internet.

Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth (NGRUFY) continues to impact the youths across the Nex-Tech footprint tangibly. I reached out to Layne Reynolds, the organization’s Marketing Coordinator, to get us up to speed with some cool facts about NGRUFYI. She prepared this.

A community is composed of a group of stakeholders doing different work. But when viewed from the right perspective, we see an interdependent and functioning society. That is the beauty of our communities, and that is exactly where Nex-Tech fits in.

You can hear the whistlings, cheers, and screams from afar. You can see the swags and colorful shirts. The teens are selling lemonade and cookies along the way. You can perceive the aroma from the many barbecue grills. Parents and kids are walking to the arena with excitement. The young and old are elated. You can see the heart and soul of the town come alive. You can feel the pride and vibe of unity in the community.

The Communications Coalition of Kansas (CCK) is an organization of Rural Local Exchange Carriers (RLECs) that carry broadband through hundreds of miles, across dozens of communities, as well as to agricultural, educational, governmental, and healthcare institutions. In short, CCK members form the backbone of high-speed connectivity for the most rural economies of Kansas. CCK members serve 50% of the state’s geographic area, 104 out of the state’s 105 counties, and about 15% of households. Nex-Tech is a member of the CCK. Every year, we join other CCK members to visit the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka and engage with legislators.