Much of Seward County no longer eligible for federal broadband expansion funds
UTICA, Neb. (KLKN) — Rural businesses and homes in Nebraska depend on the internet, but for many, reliable access is still a challenge.
“My mother in law, she lives in a location where it’s very difficult to get the internet,” longtime Utica resident Jody Wiemier said. “And we have been trying to help her get that. She’s in her 80s and she loves using technology, but it’s hard to get it out in the country.”
The Seward County Board of Commissioners is working to fix that, but it said a change in federal guidelines is making it harder.
County Commissioner Misty Ahmic said there’s a lot of areas in Seward County without reliable internet, referred to as “dark territories.”
“We have a lot of families without service,” she said. “Those kids that are going to school, they don’t have that reliable service.”
The board is gathering data and applying for state and federal grants to bring faster speeds to more homes and businesses.
But under new guidelines from a federal broadband expansion program, the number of eligible locations in Seward County dropped from over 1,600 to less than 700.
Many locations around Goehner are still eligible, but 10 minutes away in Utica, people are no longer eligible for those funds.
Courtesy: Seward County Commissioner Misty Ahmic
Wiemer said as a former teacher, she knows reliable internet access is the livelihood of a lot of businesses.
“Kindergarten teachers share many, many ideas with other kindergarten teachers, and I did that greatly through the internet,” Wiemer said. “Now I help out at the senior center, and just today, I did a presentation using Snapfish, using the internet. I couldn’t have done it without that.”
The county commissioners are urging people to reach out to Sens. Deb Fisher and Pete Ricketts, as well as Rep. Mike Flood.
