ELDRIDGE, Iowa — Iowa has awarded $97.5 million to broadband providers across the state, to help fund projects that improve rural connection to faster, more reliable internet. In Eldridge, the Central Scott Telephone Company was given $4,280,286.16.
The Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program allocated the funds between 39 entities. The Office of the Chief Information Officer for Iowa said they received 178 grant applications, resulting in plans for another round of grants with American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Central Scott Telephone Company (CSTC) was already in the process of upgrading to fiber connection in 3,700 homes around Eldridge, Long Grove and Park View. With the $4.28 million in grant money, they are also also able to provide broadband to nearly 700 rural houses.
"Our goal is to have 100% of the customers we serve on fiber. And with programs like this, I think that's a reachable goal," said Donn Wilmott, General Manager of CSTC.
To connect one house, in Eldridge, to fiber, it averages about $5,000 for CSTC. But out in the country, bringing broadband to just one home can average $16,000, with some jobs easily reaching up to $25,000.
"You get out into the rural areas and in this case, the [house] density is about five homes per mile of fiber. Sometimes you see that shrink to three homes per mile, two and a half homes per mile," said Wilmott. "That's where it gets real hard to economically justify putting some of these homes on fiber. And that's where this program from the state is so welcomed."
With their grant money, CSTC estimates they'll be able to install nearly 300 miles of fiber optic cable in about three years.
Wilmott revealed they had originally asked for $7.2 million in funding, with the hopes that they could connect all 1,016 of their rural customers. However, he's optimistic that they can get the rest of their funding through the next year or two of grant applications from the state.
"The way they've packaged it and identified the areas that are most underserved, and allowed entities like ourselves, who were already making plans to upgrade most of our customers to fiber, allows us to target those that are hardest to economically justify," he said. "It's doing a lot of good things for a lot of people in rural parts of our county that otherwise may not get these types of serves for some time to come."
Individual fibers are only about as thick as a strand of hair. When wrapped into a cord, they're smaller, more powerful and more reliable than the old copper cables that CSTC is now replacing.
Wilmott hopes to have all of his customers connected to broadband with a fiber cable within the next 3-4 years.
RELATED: Stay in the know with WQAD online