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Nebraska Home First in Nation Connected Under Federal Broadband Program
The connection marks the first BEAD-funded high-speed internet service for a U.S. household, as Nebraska begins using $42.5 million in federal grants.
- On Thursday, a household near Ogallala became the first in the United States to receive high-speed internet through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, the Nebraska Broadband Office announced.
- Gering-Based Vistabeam partnered with the Nebraska Broadband Office to host a media event May 14, utilizing hybrid fiber and wireless infrastructure to complete the connection in days rather than years.
- The household receives speeds exceeding 800 megabits per second download and 200 megabits per second upload, surpassing BEAD's 100 Mbps minimum. Customer Deb Armknecht said her grandchildren use it for schoolwork and she manages farm books.
- Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen said the technology reaches 'hardest-to-serve' locations, while Patrick Redmond, deputy director of the Nebraska Broadband Office, called the activation a 'major step forward' for connectivity.
- Vistabeam is replicating the model across three states backed by $100.18 million in BEAD commitments: $64.6 million in Colorado for 5,836 locations, $35.2 million in Wyoming for 4,181 locations, and $423,375 in Nebraska for 93 locations.
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Omaha World-Herald+6 Reposted by 6 other sources
Nebraska marks first high-speed connection under federal broadband program
A Nebraska household in Ogallala was the first reported high-speed internet connected funding through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, the Nebraska Broadband Office announced Thursday.
·Omaha, United States
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Nebraska’s Vistabeam Turns on BEAD Connection
WASHINGTON, May 14, 2026 – President Joe Biden signed a major broadband deployment funding law on Nov. 15, 2021. Four and a half years later, the law just connected the first customer to high-speed Internet access.That honor belongs to Nebraska fixed wireless provider Vistabeam, which turned on the first active subscriber connected by the $42.45 billion broadband grant program, the company said Thursday.The company used Broadband Equity, Access,…
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