Osage County Broadband Project is a GO!
The wait is FINALLY over! Kanokla has waited five long years for USDA ReConnect 1 loan/grant approval to build better broadband connectivity for our members in Osage County. Jumping that last hurdle felt like the final stretch of a long race—we cleared it, though not without a few stumbles along the way. The process left us battle scarred but more determined than ever.
We are thrilled to finally begin the construction of a state-of-the-art fiber optic network for Shidler, Wynona, Webb City, Foraker, and Grainola. This milestone would not be possible without the grant funding from USDA through the ReConnect pilot program in the 2018 Farm Bill. It is ironic that as we celebrate this long-awaited achievement, the Farm Bill itself is still awaiting a modern update. Since 2018 USDA has played a pivotal role in shaping rural infrastructure, and we are grateful for its impact.
The journey to this point has been anything but smooth. The current process for reviewing and reporting the environmental impact of construction projects is tangled in a web of agencies and regulations. In fact, environmental processes are under review to improve and streamline the very challenges we have endured. The road has been long, but we have finally arrived at the starting line for the physical construction phase of the fiber project. The engineering, maps, staking, permitting, and archeology work is behind us.
We received the release of funding letter February 3, 2025. It states we met the requirements of our Programmatic Agreement among the USDA, RUS, Osage Nation, OAS, and Oklahoma and Kansas State Historical Preservation Offices, and we may now begin. I personally did a happy dance, announced the good news to my Board of Directors, called my engineer, kissed babies, and cried with relief. We have been through the ringer, but our members in Osage County have suffered the most, and we are so ready to remedy this! As we put our bid books together, we already have a lot of interest from construction contractors all over the country. Fingers-crossed, we go to bid by the end of March. We will publish the timeline once wedetermine the winning bid(s).
The benefits of fiber optic connectivity are immense. This technology will provide exponentially better access to healthcare, education, work, government services, emergency response, entertainment, precision agriculture, efficiencies, and more. It will enable homes to seamlessly support multiple connected devices, offering a quality-of-life upgrade that will last for generations. Fiber is the gold standard of broadband technology: it not only surpasses all other options but also enhances their performance.
At Kanokla investing in rural infrastructure and empowering our communities is at the heart of what we do. As a cooperative we’re committed to long-term solutions that bring lasting returns for the communities we serve. This project will revolutionize daily life in Osage County by making telehealth visits easier, online learning more accessible, remote work more feasible, and social connections more seamless. With fiber broadband people will rediscover the beauty and freedom of rural living—where life is richer, calmer and more connected than ever before.
We are excited for this journey and grateful for the patience and support of our members. The future of Osage County is bright, and Kanokla is proud to help light the way.