Pilot broadband cost overrun grant

The Oklahoma Western Telephone Co, doing business as Star Search Rural TV, was awarded a $4,354,721 Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service on March 29, 2023. The grant is part of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.855), which aims to improve access to telemedicine and distance learning technologies in rural areas through 2025.

Under the award, Star Search Rural TV will use the funding to deliver broadband internet services that support telemedicine and distance learning applications for rural communities in Lawton, Oklahoma. The Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loans and Grants program specifically focuses on expanding access to educational and healthcare resources via telecommunications technologies for rural populations, consistent with the services Star Search Rural TV will provide with this federal support.