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Rainbow Communications outlines multi‑phase fiber build, pledges roughly $16 million investment to Atchison
Summary
Rainbow Communications told the Atchison City Commission it will begin a phase‑4 fiber mainline this month covering about 1,300 homes and expects phase‑5 to begin in September 2026; the presenter said the company has invested about $9.5 million to date and projects the full build near $16 million.
Andrew Kreider, business development manager for Rainbow Communications, told the Atchison City Commission the company plans to restart construction in town this month on what it calls phase 4 of a multi‑phase fiber network build.
"Phase 4 is the area we’ll start construction in starting this month," Kreider said, describing roughly 9.8 miles of aerial and 7.6 miles of buried fiber that he said would reach about 1,300 homes and take about six months to install. He said phase 4 is estimated at about $3.1 million; phase 5, which the company hopes to start in September 2026 and complete by the end of 2027, is estimated at about $3.2 million.
Kreider said the company’s overall investment in Atchison has been substantial: "Once we’re completed, we’ve put in about $9,500,000 to date," and the combined project work being planned would bring the broader build to "almost a $16,000,000" investment. He also said that none of that $16 million is direct state or federal funding for the build; Rainbow received smaller grants earlier in the pandemic from local and SPARK programs that are not included in the large‑build totals.
Commissioners asked about household pricing and construction impacts. Kreider said household residential service for the faster tiers is "less than $100" per month for a 2 Gbps residential product; business connections can reach 10 Gbps. He acknowledged fieldwork issues—shallow burial in some spots and the need to coordinate locates with Kansas One Call and local property owners—and said Rainbow will follow up with school officials and residents to verify locate depths before further work.
The presentation included a map of blue (already built), red (phase 4 starting areas) and green (phase 5) zones. Kreider said company crews, both aerial and buried, and a resident engineer based in town will be on site as work proceeds. He asked residents to contact Rainbow staff for follow‑up questions and said the company will do marketing and sign‑up outreach for drop installations after mainline completion.
