Ten years. That’s how long BOLT Fiber Optics has been building its broadband network across northeast Oklahoma.

We’ve certainly come a long way over the past decade. From a concept on a drafting table to a sprawling network that now encompasses approximately 2,000 miles of both aerial and underground fiber, it’s been quite the journey.

As we pause to reflect on this 10-year milestone, we are also reminded of the striking historical similarities between the emergence of electrical and broadband infrastructure here in rural Oklahoma.

In the 1930s—less than a century ago—electricity was found only in major cities where investor-owned utilities found the business case profitable. This inequity left farms, ranches, and other rural areas in the dark, quite literally.

In 1935, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order that created the Rural Electrification Administration. Passage of the Rural Electrification Act through Congress provided financial backing for the first rural electric cooperatives in the United States.

Cooperatives were formed by neighbors banding together with the common goal of electrifying America’s heartland. By 1959, nearly 90% of all farms had electricity, and life as we know it was forever changed.

It is a rare occasion when history repeats itself on the scale of the Rural Electrification Act, but we find ourselves witnessing a very similar movement today. The need for broadband and the discrepancy between urban and rural availability is comparable to the electrification disparity of the 1930s.

In 2014, the NOEC Board of Trustees began pursuing a vision to bridge the digital divide here in northeast Oklahoma. This necessitated the procurement of a loan from the Rural Utility Service on behalf of our wholly-owned subsidiary, Northeast Rural Services, LLC. That loan was the catalyst for BOLT Fiber Optic Services. Since then, BOLT has grown to over 18,000 subscribers with more connected each day.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 created funding aimed at further reducing the digital divide between rural and urban inhabitants. Grant funds were earmarked for broadband expansion nationwide with each state receiving an allocation. The Oklahoma Broadband Office was formed and charged with administering these funds through the ARPA SLFRF, ARPA CPF, and BEAD programs.

There’s little time for us to celebrate our 10-year achievement. We find ourselves breaking ground on a significant expansion of our footprint, thanks to nearly $24 million in funding through the SLFRF and CPF programs. Adding an approximate $18 million match, BOLT will be expanding throughout Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa, and Rogers counties over the next two years. This expansion will cover more than 1,000 miles and pass close to 7,500 residences and businesses with broadband availability.

It remains the vision of BOLT to ensure that cooperative members and non-members alike have access to quality broadband services. These new grant opportunities are allowing us to move that vision forward.

We’re still lighting up rural America, the light just looks a little different now.