SIDNEY -- The Cheyenne County Commissioners today hear a proposal to expand broadband service into Cheyenne County.

The proposal was made by Ebony Cooksey of Nextlink Internet via phone conference. The project would be funded through the Capital Projects Fund. The State of Nebraska committed $87.7 million for broadband expansion. 

The Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program will award grants for broadband infrastructure. The program is designed to reach in areas without access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet service, especially the state’s rural areas, according to a document from the U.S. Department of Treasury. 

Nextlink was founded in July 2012 in Weatherford, Texas by Bill Baker and Danny Gilbert and funded by a group of “family and friends” investors. The company leased its first tower that year and signed up its first subscriber on Sep 12, 2022.

Called the "Sidney Wireless Project" Application, Cooksey said most of the service locations are on the outskirts of the city of Sidney. 

"One of the things, regardless of the nomenclature, is that we provide connectivity, primarily for rural areas. And so, most of our projects would be on the outskirts, wherever we are, regardless of which county we're serving.The majority of our projects, our bread and butter, have been projects in rural areas, and areas that lack connectivity," she said. "The majority of our projects, our bread and butter, have been projects in rural areas, and areas that lack connectivity."

She said the project will cover an extensive amount of Nebraska.

"Our Sidney Wireless Project will cover approximately 691 square miles, 353 unserved locations," she said.

She said Nextlink secured about $1 million from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) for Cheyenne County alone. Nextlink intends to exceed minimum speeds for broadband mandated by the State of Nebraska and federal levels. 

RDOF will disburse up to $20.4 billion over 10 years to bring fixed broadband and voice service to millions of unserved homes and small businesses in rural America.

Cooksey said she contacted the commissioners to seek support for the project.