Local Areas Band Together for Rural Broadband in Nebraska

Loup Power District is developing a funding resolution that can lead to the construction of a 300-mile backbone network to help area farmers receive high-speed broadband. The effort will affect residents in four rural counties: Boone, Colfax, Nance and Platte (NE). The power company is developing a funding resolution that would be executed by each public entity involved in a potential backbone network in the four-county area. A separate funding resolution would be executed by each county, Loup and any other public entity that could be interested in partnering for the backbone broadband network. Loup Power District — along with Nebraska Public Power District and Boone, Colfax, Nance and Platte counties — had previously entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding rural broadband issues in the area. Meanwhile, the MOU is how the permit public entities can work together to pursue funding opportunities to bring high-speed broadband service to rural locations of the Loup's service area. The MOU also allows discussions with private entities that could be willing to become providers of broadband services in Loup's service area rural sections.