Rural carriers tell Utilities Committee grants and long payback periods are key to expanding broadband in western Kansas

Catherine Moyer, speaking for Pioneer Communications and the Communications Coalition of Kansas (CCK), told the Utilities Committee that rural carriers have invested heavily to build networks but rely on grant programs to reach the most sparsely populated areas.

Moyer said CCK represents 34 rural local-exchange carriers that serve all Kansas counties except Wyandotte, covering roughly 50% of the state’s land mass but only about 15% of households. She said the coalition’s members have spent more than $200 million in aggregate capital expenditures in recent years and supplement those investments with federal and state grants and universal service funds. "We serve 50% of the land mass, but only about 15% of the households," Moyer said.

Why it matters: Moyer told the committee that the remaining unserved or under-served areas are…