Conexon Connect recently celebrated its first customer connections in underserved areas of rural Wayne County and is expanding its high-speed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network throughout Missouri. Currently, the ISP is poised to reach more than 30,000 rural homes and businesses in its headquarters state of Missouri.
Commitment to Rural America
The Missouri FTTH expansion builds on Conexon Connect projects in partnership with Osage Valley Electric Cooperative and Sac Osage Electric Cooperative to build FTTH networks spanning 15 counties in Missouri.
Conexon Connect's FTTH network expansion is another key milestone as the ISP works to fulfill its commitments to rural America with awards received from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and American Rescue Plan Act to deliver high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved areas of the country.
In addition to delivering FTTH access to the communities and members served by Sac Osage Electric Cooperative and Osage Valley Electric Cooperative, and areas within Wayne County, fiber broadband will also be available to communities within Barton, Bollinger, Dent, Iron, Jasper, Reynolds, and Shannon counties.
Conexon has a long history in Missouri, partnering with the state's electric cooperatives to deploy FTTH networks. Conexon Founding Partner and co-CEO, Randy Klindt, led the initial conception, construction, and operations for Co-Mo Connect, one of the nation's first electric cooperative FTTH projects.
Conexon's current Missouri fiber network projects—including partnerships with five electric co-ops—collectively reach more than 170,000 rural Missourians. Nationwide, Conexon and its partners reach nearly 3 million rural Americans with fiber broadband.
“Expanding our footprint and the availability of high-speed fiber internet to more rural communities across our home state is especially gratifying,” Klindt said. “Every project we launch reinforces to our entire team the importance of access to high-speed internet for the rural areas and residents we serve. Broadband is key to their economic success and long-term viability, and we're proud to play a role in that.”
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