Caney council backs letter of support for Ideatek Telecom’s grant application for fiber buildout

John Terry of Ideatek Telecom, LLC asked the Caney City Council on June 15 for a letter of support to accompany a grant application to build fiber in the city, saying the application deadline was Wednesday. Terry said Ideatek provides month-to-month consumer plans in other Southeast Kansas communities and described redundancy plans to limit outages, referencing a so-called "rule of fives." He requested the council consider a franchise agreement patterned on prior franchise templates used by the city.

Council members questioned construction and municipal-utility protections. Council Member Elizabeth Burch asked how the company handles laying lines in remediated soil; Terry said Ideatek had worked in similar soil and described remediation and installation procedures. Council Member Jesse Hilyard asked how Ideatek handles damage to water or sewer lines; Terry said the company would reimburse the city for repairs or hire a contractor to fix damage found within one year of installation. Mayor Josh Elliott asked whether the lines would be aerial or underground; Terry said they would be buried.

After discussion, Council Member Jesse Hilyard moved and Council Member Becky Dye seconded a motion to approve a letter of support for Ideatek’s grant application. The motion carried 4-0. The council did not vote on a franchise agreement at the meeting; Terry said the company wants the franchise to set expectations and to allow review by the city attorney. The amount and source of the grant Ideatek is pursuing were not specified in the meeting record.

The council directed staff to follow its normal franchise-review process and to provide any draft franchise language to the city attorney for review. The record shows supportive letters from other regional entities and the local school district were referenced by Ideatek during the presentation.