The Nebraska Farm Bureau on Tuesday announced a novel effort to provide more broadband internet service to rural areas.
The Farm Bureau said it has partnered with Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to provide service to its members.
“We are excited to work with Starlink to deliver high-speed broadband to rural areas in Nebraska that are underserved,†said Mark McHargue, president of the farm advocacy group.
The Farm Bureau did not say in its announcement how much the service would cost, but McHargue said that members who sign up will get two months of free service, "a nearly $200 value," which indicates it costs around $100 a month. The group has more than 55,000 members in the state.
“We continue to hear from our members that farms, ranches, rural households and businesses struggle with getting access to reliable high-speed internet," McHargue said. "Whether you are 20 miles from Lincoln or Omaha or in the Sandhills, the thing we hear the most is that quality service and speed is just not available."
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According to a map on StarLink's website, the service is available to the entire state of Nebraska.
The availability and quality of internet available in rural areas of Nebraska has been a longtime issue, largely because of the cost. Last year, the state received more than $90 million in federal funding to expand access, which was expected to pay for about 21,000 access lines to homes and businesses.
Starlink gets around that problem by providing wireless service from more than 4,000 satellites orbiting the Earth.
“Starlink is ideal for those who live and work in rural communities, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with the Nebraska Farm Bureau to offer reliable high-speed internet coverage to the last acre for farmers and ranchers across the state,†said Chad Gibbs, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink Business Operations.
Farm Bureau members can sign up for the service on the group's website, . Nonmembers who wish to join the organization can do so on the website or call 402-421-4466.
“This is an incredible opportunity for farmers, ranchers and all Nebraskans to have access to high-speed, high-quality internet service,†McHargue said.
Allo, a fiber-optic internet provider, is coming into La Vista, Papillion and Gretna, Fastwyre to Bellevue and Google Fiber to Omaha.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
Matt Olberding
Associate managing editor
