By Allison Peck
Ogallala, Neb. — A rural household south of Ogallala is now among the first in the nation connected to high-speed internet through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, commonly known as BEAD.
Governor Jim Pillen was joined Thursday by Arielle Roth, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, along with representatives from the Nebraska Broadband Office and Vistabeam Internet to celebrate Nebraska’s first reported BEAD-funded household connection.
Officials said the milestone reflects ongoing efforts to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved areas across Nebraska.
Earlier Thursday, Pillen highlighted the event in a social media post, calling the connection “among the first such connections in America under this program” and praising efforts to expand high-speed internet access in rural Nebraska.
“This is a gigantic day for the state of Nebraska because we are connecting the people,” Pillen said during remarks at the event.
Pillen said improving broadband access has been a priority since early in his administration, calling reliable internet service critical for rural economic growth, precision agriculture, education, health care and quality of life.
According to state officials, the connection was completed by Inventive, doing business as Vistabeam Internet. The company has been awarded $423,375 through the BEAD program to serve 93 locations across Nebraska.
During the event, Pillen highlighted the speed of the new connection, saying the household is receiving approximately 825 megabits per second download speeds and 229 megabits per second upload speeds.
Vistabeam Chief Executive Officer Matt Larsen said the connection demonstrates the capabilities of newer wireless broadband technology in rural areas.
Larsen said the connection is being delivered wirelessly from a tower roughly 11 miles away from the home.
“That is incredible and absolutely worth celebrating,” Larsen said.
Roth said the project demonstrates how newer wireless technologies can help expand broadband access in rural areas while speeding up connections for underserved communities.
Officials said the federal program is intended to help states connect underserved households while supporting economic development and expanding access to services in rural communities.
Pillen also called the event a historic moment for Nebraska, saying the state intends to continue expanding broadband infrastructure statewide.
“This is just the first of many connections that will be made over the next few years,” Larsen said.