August 26, 2024
EPICTOUCH, a small family-owned communications company, provides service to customers in the south-central Kansas communities of Liberal and Elkhart, as well as in several parishes in Louisiana. EPICTOUCH is using every tool at its disposal to deliver fiber to more customers, including applying for and receiving state and local grants.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly recently announced recipients of the Broadband Acceleration Grant program in Kansas. The program sends more than $10 million of investment in high-speed broadband access across 10 rural Kansas counties.
“We’re continuing to deliver on our bold and ambitious goal to make Kansas a top 10 state for broadband access by 2030,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Affordable broadband is necessary for our communities to remain viable and competitive, and every Kansan deserves a reliable connection to the world. These grants accelerate our efforts to make that a reality.”
EPICTOUCH received one of the largest grants at $889,063, and with community funding included the amount put toward network expansion will double to nearly $1.8 million.
“EPICTOUCH has capitalized on grant opportunities through the Kansas Office of Broadband Development since 2020, and we’ve been recipients of the first two years of acceleration grants,” Becky Scott, EPICTOUCH CEO, explained at a town meeting in Liberal, KS.
“The private public partnerships that have been established with previous grant applications have played a vital role in the success we’ve experienced.” – Becky Scott, CEO, EPICTOUCH
Local officials praised the benefits of the grant to the community, particularly in terms of distance learning and tele-health. “This is a huge, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Scott.