Kiamichi Electric Cooperative, Inc.

PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of this project initially is to make available to all KEC members fast, reliable broadband service using fiber to the home (FTTH). The fund request will construct a 100% fiber network within Southeast Oklahoma including Pittsburg, Latimer, Leflore, Pushmataha and Atoka counties. The request is supported by numerous community partners including but not limited to The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, all our county commissioners as well as local legislatures. (See attached letters of support) The distribution coops are well positioned to provide these services to a significant amount of the unserved and underserved areas in Southeastern Oklahoma. KEC?s not for profit business model makes our goals and objectives more focused on providing these services to the in-use members. The majority of all federally funded broadband grants have defaulted and there are substantially no programs currently in place to help service Southeastern Oklahoma. There is a strong likely hood that no broadband expansion will happen without these state grants currently in place. Every home, business and school in small towns and rural areas should have access to high-speed internet and phone capabilities. Given these facts, the importance of building broadband infrastructure in Oklahoma cannot be overstated.

EVIDENCE

The on-going pandemic gives strong evidence that reliable high-speed internet connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Every home, business and school in small towns and rural areas should have access to high-speed internet and phone capabilities. Oklahoma has a large digital divide with over 42.22% of its population not having access to broadband. That is almost 1.7 million people. In terms of broadband coverage, Oklahoma ranks 49th out of 50 states only beating Arkansas by a few percentage points. It is estimated that one in four Oklahoman children does not have access to broadband at home. The lack of broadband creates social and economic hardship and drives business away from a community. Given these facts, the importance of building broadband infrastructure in Oklahoma cannot be overstated. Providing affordable broadband access breaks the ?digital divide? experienced by rural Oklahomans in the following ways: Bringing access at home for students to achieve advanced placement courses and concurrent enrollment at universities, Ending disparities in health outcomes for those who suffer poor health, simply because of where they were born; and. Ability to work from home or remotely Help with economic development and job growth

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

KEC directly experienced the effects of limited or no access to internet services capable of effectively conducting business in rural Oklahoma. We attempted to allow our employees to work from home, many were unable to or experienced frustrating slow speeds and black out periods. This is indicative to what rural students, businesses, and patients seeking tele-med health care experience daily. The internet is vastly becoming a necessity and not a luxury that is critical for day-to-day life. Extending broadband to rural America is critical for many well-documented reasons, including robust economic growth, increased access to healthcare through telemedicine, improved public services and safety, civic engagement, as well as direct access to education. Our reliance on the internet during coronavirus has recast how we will behave after the crisis has passed. The big lesson is that we have incorporated the internet as a critical part of our personal and professional lives.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project performance will be provided using a random sample test performed during peak hours for 1 week, once a quarter, using a combination of on-premise router test data and Ookla speed test data. Choctaw Electric Cooperative will demonstrate network and project viability by demonstrating the following: ? Take rate of 15% or greater ? System uptime demonstrating 99% availability ? Project summary of progress using maps and overview ? 100/100 Mbps available across the entire project relevant to test area ? Project support letters and satisfied customers letters

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma