Gateway Fiber granted $10 million for expansion

Posted 5/20/22

Wright City-based Gateway Fiber has been awarded $10 million from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to expand broadband internet coverage in underserved communities. …

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Gateway Fiber granted $10 million for expansion

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Wright City-based Gateway Fiber has been awarded $10 million from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to expand broadband internet coverage in underserved communities. Gateway received the largest share of this funding in the state of Missouri.

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced in late February that Missouri would receive $42 million to expand broadband coverage in several communities where residents do not currently have access to high-speed internet.

Locally, the grant funds will allow Gateway Fiber to reach nearly 5,000 homes and businesses in underserved communities in Lincoln and St. Charles counties, including areas surrounding St. Paul, Josephville, Winfield, Moscow Mills, and Old Monroe.

Through Gateway’s future-proof fiber optic network, these areas will be able to access the internet with data speeds that are the same as those available in major metropolitan areas.

“The NTIA funding will allow us to offer dramatic broadband upgrades to these areas,” said Heath Sellenriek, president of Gateway Fiber. Gateway’s fiber-optic network brings state-of-the-art infrastructure to communities that don’t have a solid internet option right now. As a result, most homes will see a ten-fold improvement, according to the company.

“These communities have struggled to gain access to reliable internet connections,” Sellenriek continued. “Residents often must settle for satellite, cable, or DSL internet connections, which are older, slower technologies. Gateway’s fiber-optic connection provides much faster and more reliable internet to unserved and underserved communities that need this technology to fuel the future.”

Gateway is in the planning stages for this expansion and anticipates that funds from the NTIA grant will enable them to start building this infrastructure in late 2022 or early 2023.

Residents interested in learning more about Gateway Fiber can visit GatewayFiber.com.

Gateway Fiber, Grant

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