Agricultural News
Rep. Tom Cole: Fiber Broadband Installation at Fort Sill a Tremendous Opportunity for Service Members, Their Families
Tue, 04 Jan 2022 16:42:31 CST
Today, Hilliary Communications announced the company was approved to build fiber infrastructure at Fort Sill and will invest $5 million to deliver high-speed internet services to roughly 1,900 homes on the base. A number of Oklahoman leaders attended the press briefing, including Rep. Tom Cole, who called the announcement a tremendous opportunity for service members and their families.
KC Sheperd, director of Radio Oklahoma Ag Network, caught up with Cole shortly afterward. He said the project is long overdue for the folks who lay their lives on the line for the U.S. every day. Many U.S. military bases are in remote locations and quite often do not enjoy the same infrastructure most Americans take for granted, according to Cole.
"(The project) is also a model," Cole said. "This is something I think that can be replicated around the country."
The project is set to begin this month and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023. The global pandemic shined a light on how important high-speed broadband is in all facets of life. JJ Francais, assistant vice president of external affairs for Hilliary Communications, compared the recent push by the federal government to expand rural broadband to the same thinking that saw the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 come to fruition.
"A lot of people have had to work remotely; a lot of health care has to be administered remotely and frankly, the isolation of people who have had to be quarantined - (has shown) that (high-speed broadband) is important," Cole said. "This provides us a way to create communities and opportunities for people even under difficult circumstances."
Hit the LISTEN BAR below to hear KC Sheperd and Rep. Tom Cole discuss the announcement to install crucial rural broadband infrastructure at Fort Sill and reflect on some other topics including the ongoing medical marijuana issue.
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