Northwest Iowa — As Senator Chuck Grassley recently said, one of the very few good things to come out of the coronavirus pandemic — is a focus on better broadband access. And a Sioux Center company is taking advantage of some money made available due to coronavirus concerns and is going to provide better broadband access in parts of their territory.
Premier Communications recently received a multi-million-dollar grant for this purpose through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security — or CARES — Act. Premier spokesperson Scott TeStrote tells us about it.
The total cost of the projects is projected to be about $7.75 million. Premier officials say the grant is for $3.9 million.
Te Strote tells us they don’t have an overabundance of time to get the project done. In fact, in less than a year, it needs to be complete.
According to Te Strote, the people in the targeted areas have only DSL or dialup, or maybe can’t get internet at all at this time. So they’re going to go from close to zero capacity, up to very high speeds, literally overnight.
Te Strote says the communities of George and Orange City are well-served, but this will connect the farms and businesses out in the country. In fact, he says, about 700 to 750 customers stand to benefit in a combined 160-square-mile area around the towns.
He tells us that they have sent letters to folks in the George area, but if you live in that area and have not been contacted, feel free to call Premier Communications at 800-741-8351 to inquire about the new service. He says they’ll send letters to the rural Orange City folks at a later date.
As an interesting side note, Te Strote says when the George part of the project is done, the entirety of Lyon County will have access to broadband internet. He says he’s not sure, but Lyon County might be the first county in Iowa to have that distinction.
