Estherville, IA. – April 5, 2022 – Estherville Communications, a new communications company formed by a partnership between Premier Communications and River Valley Telecommunications Coop, was awarded a grant through the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program. On January 4, 2022, the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the State of Iowa, with authority given by Governor Kim Reynolds, awarded $4,514,480 to Estherville Communications through Iowa’s Broadband Grants Program – Empower Rural Iowa. The funding was made available to communications service providers in order to improve broadband access for Iowans in underserved service areas across the state.
Estherville Communications applied for the federal funding and was awarded $4,514,480 to bring fiber optics to approximately 125 sq. miles of rural area surrounding Estherville, IA. The total cost of the project is projected to be $9 million. This grant will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premise network in the rural Estherville area with the capability of broadband speeds in excess of 1 Gbps.
“Being awarded this grant is an incredible honor,” comments Ryan Boone, CEO of Premier Communications. “We know how important it is for underserved rural Iowans to have access to robust broadband services and we look forward to providing rural Estherville with great service and reliability through Estherville Communications.” “We are committed to serving our customers with the best technology possible no matter where they live,” adds Ivan Dalen, General Manager of River Valley Telecommunications Coop. “Governor Reynolds understands the needs of rural Iowans and the increased necessity of broadband. She has been a fantastic advocate for rural broadband expansion.”
Estherville Communications looks forward to using these funds to build fiber optic infrastructure in rural Estherville. The project is expected to begin in Spring 2023 and be completed in 2024.
* This project was supported by the federal funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act and the State of Iowa, acting by and through the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Points of view expressed herein are those of the author or speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the United States Government or State of Iowa or endorsement of the project.
