The City of WaKeeney is located in Trego County in the northwest region of Kansas. Nex-Tech has been serving the residents and businesses of WaKeeney with fiber broadband for many years. I recently had a great time visiting WaKeeney and engaging with the city council on ways to work together to enhance the quality of life in the city.

We discussed:

• the Nex-Tech Revolving Loan Fund (RLF),
• the Town’s Grant offered by the Kansas Department of Commerce,
•  the socioeconomic benefits of Nex-Tech fiber broadband,
  
• grassroots advocacy in support of the Universal Service Fund (USF),
  
• opportunities to host a Nex-Tech Academy to enhance digital inclusion and adoption in the community, and more.

We celebrated together as the city got a Smart Rural Certificate and Smart Rural Sign from Nex-Tech. These will help the community to enlighten the public about the various benefits of Nex-Tech fiber broadband network in the community.

Overall, I think the engagement gave momentum to the developmental work being done by other stakeholders in the area including the local chamber of commerce, the local travel and tourism board, and lots more.

Any city or town served by Nex-Tech fiber broadband can request Smart Rural Community resources here: https://www.nex-tech.com/about/economic-development/smart-rural-community-provider/