Nex-Tech is supporting a new train-the-trainer, volunteer-led effort to address the broadband knowledge and affordability gap in Kansas. It is called the Digital Ambassadors Program. The program seeks to increase digital literacy and skills among Kansas citizens.
One of the priorities of our CEO, Jimmy Todd, has been to reposition and enhance Nex-Tech’s engagement with local stakeholders across western Kansas. As part of that effort, we have ramped up our support for the activities of WKREDA.
I have discovered that rural economic development in small towns will always be possible if towns maximize their natural competitive advantage. What I mean is that a coastal location should focus on having economic activities around the water body already provided by nature. If a location has fertile soils, focusing on cutting-edge ways to grow crops and maximize yields may be sensible.
The Saline County government has joined the Nex-Tech Academy Network for Digital Skills. Community Engagement Specialist, Friday Otuya explains what this means for the Salina community.
Today stakeholders agree that there is a direct relationship between the availability of adequate and affordable childcare and the presence of a professional and ready workforce in a community. When families have adequate childcare, they are more likely to increase the time they invest in economic activities, thereby contributing to the local economy. In turn, families can earn more income to afford the goods or services of a company.
Our grant team works tirelessly to prepare applications and explain all these facts to grant-giving bodies on why rural communities should get high-quality connectivity. But we also do more.
For many years, Nex-Tech has supported rural communities across our service footprint. Today we continue to do so by offering advice and guidance to local leaders on innovative ways to foster development. Community Engagement Specialist, Friday Otuya, writes about an innovative engagement cycle that could lead to community progress on local issues.
At the end of July 2024, the fiber broadband industry will gather in the city of Nashville, Tennessee for Fiber Connect 2024. With the industry getting excited about what could be the biggest fiber broadband expansion period in the industry thanks to BEAD funding, I have been reflecting on one of Nex-Tech’s most impactful fiber deployment projects – the deployment of fiber to McCarty Family Farms, in Rexford, Kansas.
Recently, I was in Manhattan KS to attend a regional Advocacy Comment Tour held by the SBA Office of Advocacy in Manhattan, KS. The Office of Advocacy is a designated office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advocates for the interests of small businesses, such as Nex-Tech, before the federal government. The tour was meant to gather comments and concerns from small businesses and stakeholders regarding any proposed regulations and other potential federal actions that may impact small businesses.
The Nex-Tech broadband network has long been a game-changer for farms and ranches across Northwest and Central Kansas. Community Engagement Specialist, Friday Otuya, recently visited the LaRosh Farms in Osborne County, KS. He explains how our broadband enables precision agriculture, supports the food production ecosystem beyond Kansas, and forms the bedrock on which many farms and families depend. Indeed, Nex-Tech drives and sustains food security in the nation and beyond.
