Business Connections fo Fall 2021

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 4 Fall 2021 Businesses and residents in Effingham and Lancaster are now experiencing the benefits of Rainbow Fiber—namely much faster and more reliable Internet service—and are pleased with the upgrade. Reaching Underserved Areas Rainbow announced in October 2020 that it qualified for $2.8 million from the Connectivity Emergency Response Grant (CERG) to expand our fiber network to reach under- served rural areas in Kansas during a time when broadband connectivity is essential. This grant is funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Act (CARES Act) created by the federal government as a response to the challenges of the pandemic. Rainbow was responsible for 20 percent match money on the grant applications. Both Effingham and Lancaster were identified as under- served areas according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines of at least a 25 Mbps by 3 Mbps connection. Copper-based DSL Internet services were then the only option for residents, and they didn’t deliver Internet speeds high enough to satisfactorily accommodate the demands of working and learning from home, telehealth services, streaming, and more. Steps of the Fiber Build Fall was a busy season for Rainbow’s construction progress in Effingham and Lancaster. Our construction crews were working in the city and county right-of-ways to expand our fiber network within the city limits of these two communities. In addition, they installed the main line of fiber. The next step in the process was installing fiber drops on customers’ properties, which is a fiber cable that connects the fiber cables from our network to the Network Interface We’ve expanded our fiber network to enhance the broadband experience in these communities Rainbow Fiber in Effingham and Lancaster ” Bringing faster and reliable broadband to Effingham and Lancaster aligns with our mission of enhancing rural communities by delivering exceptional broadband service. ” — JASON SMITH, RAINBOWGM-CEO