KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rural fiber-optic network design and construction management leader, Conexon, is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 Conexon Internet Grant, a pilot award program organized in collaboration with four rural electric cooperative clients in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The program is one of the ways Conexon is giving back to the local communities it serves, in this case by awarding a year of free Gigabit-speed broadband service to individuals who shared their stories of how their lives and businesses have been changed by the availability of high-speed internet.
Conexon partnered with electric cooperative fiber broadband subsidiary providers Pemiscot-Dunklin Fiber (Pemisoct-Dunklin Electric) and GoSemo (SEMO Electric) in Missouri, ecoLINK (East Central Oklahoma Electric) in Oklahoma, and WAVE Rural Connect (Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative) in Arkansas to pilot the 2021 grant program, with the goal of expanding the program in the future. Members from each electric cooperative had the opportunity to apply by submitting a short essay about how broadband internet access has made a difference in their life or their community.
Congratulations to Conexon’s national winners:
- Rick & Renee Aufdenberg – GoSemo
- Melton R. Smith – WAVE Rural Connect
- Jason W. Bishop – Pemiscot-Dunklin Fiber
- Amanda McLemore – ecoLINK
In addition to the national Conexon awards, the individual cooperatives also offered additional grants. Congratulations to co-op winners:
- Kimberly K. Sahlfeld-Bunger – GoSemo
- Kim Paul – GoSemo
- Jennifer Hardcastle – WAVE Rural Connect
- Doug R. Ross – WAVE Rural Connect
- Felicia Dogan – Pemiscot-Dunklin Fiber
- D’Anne Hanson – ecoLINK
“Piloting the project with several of our clients who have been deploying fiber networks for some time gave us a first-hand view of how broadband service has changed the lives of rural residents,” said Conexon Partner Randy Klindt. “After reading their stories, I have never been more proud of our role in the rural electric broadband movement.”
The 2021 Conexon Internet Grant pilot collaboration captured stories with a focus on remote learning, education, career advancement, and other opportunities created by high-speed internet access. The selected stories will be showcased on social media channels in the coming weeks.
Conexon anticipates expanding the Internet Grant program in 2022 and beyond. Details of future programs can be found at conexoninternetgrant.com.
About Conexon
Conexon works with Rural Electric Cooperatives to bring fiber to the home in rural communities. The company is comprised of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry, and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, building networks, marketing and selling telecommunications. Conexon offers its electric cooperative clients end-to-end broadband deployment and operations support, from a project’s conception all the way through to its long-term sustainability. It works with clients to analyze economic feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage construction, provide operational support, optimize business performance and determine optimal partnerships. To date, Conexon has assisted nearly 200 electric cooperatives, 50 of which are deploying fiber networks, with more than 200,000 connected fiber-to-the-home subscribers across the U.S. The company has secured more than $1.3 billion in federal and state funding for its clients.