News

A program in Kansas will invest $10.4 million for “critical broadband initiatives,” the governor has announced.

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Well over a dozen organizations in Kansas will benefit from partnerships with that state’s broadband office to advance public Wi-Fi accessibility and device distributions in areas considered underserved.

An announcement from Governor Laura Kelly earlier this month detailed the state’s continued drive to invest in “critical broadband initiatives.”

The money is being made available through the Advancing Digital Opportunities to Connect Kansans (ADOPT) program, an August release from the Kansas Department of Commerce explained.

Awardees for the latest funds, 18 in total, included internet service providers, non-profits, and schools.

In associated comments, Governor Laura Kelly said broadband access was “a common thread that is central to bringing our communities together.”

She said the awards will also continue to propel Kansans forward.

Among the recipients of the awards was the Prairie Band Pottawatomi Nation, given nearly half a million dollars to bring Wi-Fi access to a park that serves as a community hub on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Common Lands.

Another awardee was the Independence Community College Library, given $300,000 for a computer loaner program designed to service rural and disadvantaged students in high school and college.

Broadband Executive Director Bill Abston said programs like ADOPT continue to help bridge the digital divide in Kansas.

“These awards recognize the critical need and the opportunities we can enable by funding access to high-speed broadband — truly strengthening our communities and preparing our future generations,” Abston said, according to the state commerce department’s announcement.

To get content like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter.