Kansas

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development released the state's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program Final Proposal. The public comment period is open until September 1, 2025, at noon CST. Comments can be filed at this link. The final proposal includes $451,725,998 in funding to 16 internet service providers, covering over 26,000 eligible locations.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau denied Mercury Wireless Indiana, Mercury Wireless Kansas, and Mercury Broadband’s (collectively Mercury) request for waiver of the Commission’s rules, which governs the recovery of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support when recipients do not fulfill the program’s buildout requirements. The Bureau finds that Mercury did not demonstrate that good cause supports reducing the required support recovery for Mercury’s RDOF defaults in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. Mercury originated in Kansas and

Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) announced that $10.4 million will be invested in critical broadband initiatives through the Advancing Digital Opportunities to Connect Kansans (ADOPT) program.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced a $2.3 million investment in digital skills training and workforce readiness programs that will target nearly 50,000 Kansans. Through the Digital Opportunities to Connect Kansans program, the Kansas Office of Broadband Development will partner with 13 organizations to ensure residents can maximize what the availability of high-speed internet across the state has to offer. The DOCK program expands access to necessary digital tools and opportunities to upskill the workforce.

Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) announced that the Freestate Middle Mile Network, a program aimed to close digital gaps across the state, will officially break ground in June. The project is funded by a nearly $43 million federal grant from the National Telecommunication and Information Administration. The Freestate Network will allow providers to connect Kansas communities by enabling high-speed internet infrastructure for residents and businesses across Kansas. The project will focus on: 

The Kansas legislature recently enacted HB 2061, which declared that broadband is critical infrastructure. Specifically, the new law says that it is a felony to trespass or damage aboveground and belowground lines, cables, and wires used for telecommunications or video services. When Governor Laura Kelly signed the bill, she said it was critical that all Kansans have access to reliable high-speed internet.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed House Bill 2061, which amends the definition of a critical infrastructure facility to include telecommunications and broadband infrastructure. This will extend legal protections to these facilities to help ensure their security and limit service outages for Kansans. The bill specifies that the term includes aboveground and belowground lines, cables, and wires used for telecommunications or video services as well as antennas, towers, and structures.

A major broadband provider and a coalition of smaller developers complained about lack of transparency at the Kansas Department of Commerce in awarding millions of dollars in state and federal funding to upgrade internet service in underserved areas of the state. Concerns about the Department of Commerce’s grant-making process were shared with the Kansas Senate’s budget committee by a Cox Communications lobbyist and the executive director of Communications Coalition of Kansas, which represents locally owned rural internet companies and cooperatives. Megan Bottenberg, a lobbyist with Cox Com

Brightspeed says that it has received $238 million in local, state, and federal grants and funds. The money, the company says, will expand the number of addresses passed by planned projects by 121,000 in 14 states. Brightspeed, which is based in North Carolina, says that it will continue to pursue state and federal grants. The funding:

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $250 million to 24 organizations to support digital skills and inclusion projects in communities across the country. The funding will support 24 projects across 39 states and territories. Awards will be issued following budget review and processing.