Great Plains Communications (GPC) was pleased to host Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts along with legislative and local business leaders in Creighton and Gordon as the Governor kicked off his Nebraska Rural Broadband Tour. These communities have fiber to the home and business networks being constructed as a result of funding from the 2020 CARES ACT administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development with additional funding provided by GPC.
During his visit, Governor Ricketts was given a lesson in splicing fiber, which is a technique performed to join two optical fibers to meet fiber distance requirements. He also learned about the operation of boring equipment used to drill cable underground with minimal disruption to the surface area.
The Governor spoke with Creighton and Gordon residents and took part in business roundtable discussions with city and business leaders, elected officials and GPC team members to review the benefits the networks will bring to these fiber-rich communities.
In addition to Creighton and Gordon, Great Plains Communications is completing fiber networks in the communities of Callaway, Deshler, North Bend, Red Cloud, and Sutherland utilizing the CARES Act funding and additional company dollars. The projects will pass approximately 4,800 homes and businesses. Construction is nearly finished, and projects are scheduled for completion by end of the summer.
Benefits of Fiber-Driven Communications Services
Increased reliability– As a resilient technology, fiber is not susceptible to inclement weather conditions and is resistant to electrical interference. The signal strength of fiber-driven Internet does not degrade as quickly over distance.
Fully scalable technology– Fiber has the ability to scale to higher capacity to meet the present and future needs of the community.
Maximum speeds – With speeds up to 1 Gbps. for residential fiber community customers and up to 10 Gbps. available to business customers, technology needs are matched, if not exceeded, to operate more efficiently. This results in increased productivity and a superior customer experience.
Economic Development – Communities with fiber driven services experience positive growth through the attraction of new businesses, jobs and residents.