Haviland Broadband is pleased to announce a Broadband Acceleration Grant (BAG) award through the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD). The proposed service area covers approximately 9 miles north of Coldwater along Highway 183 in rural Comanche County. These locations are currently served by aging copper DSL or fixed wireless service. The $249,504 BAG award helps to provide valuable redundancy to the city of Coldwater and provide fiber broadband service to approximately 20 locations along the path. Haviland Broadband will be providing a private match of $249,504 to complete the project.
Diane Thompson, General Manager at Haviland Broadband explained, “Often times the most expensive part of bringing fiber to a new area is the backbone infrastructure that supports future growth. This project does just that. For Haviland Broadband, this grant not only supports the locations along the path, it also supports future fiber expansion in the area.”
Initiated in 2020, the Broadband Acceleration Grant is a 10-year, $85 million program designed to bring essential internet access to Kansas communities. Administered by the Kansas Office of Broadband Development and funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), this latest round of grants brings the program’s total investment for broadband infrastructure since 2020 to more than $31.5 million. Haviland Broadband received one of eleven awards granted by the program in this cycle.
Haviland Broadband is a telecommunication, broadband and managed service provider serving south-central Kansas for 75 years. Haviland Broadband is headquartered in Haviland, KS with an additional office in Conway Springs. Over the last five years, Haviland Broadband has built fiber in the towns of Greensburg, Haviland, Argonia, Coldwater, Mullinville, Conway Springs and Norwich.