SIOUX CENTER, IA – May 14, 2019– Heartland Telecommunications d/b/a Premier Communications was awarded two grants through the Iowa Broadband Grant Program. On May 8, 2019, Governor Kim Reynolds announced that the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the State of Iowa awarded $1.3 million through the Iowa Broadband Grant Program to be dispersed between six telecommunications companies in seven areas throughout the state of Iowa. The grant improves broadband access for Iowans in underserved service areas across the state. 
Heartland Telecommunications, d/b/a Premier Communications, was a recipient of a portion of the grant. Heartland Telecommunications, d/b/a Premier Communications applied for two grants and received both. The first grant included an approximately 100 sq. mi. rural area surrounding Boyden and Hull for the amount of $436,056. The second grant, in the amount of $303,653, will be utilized for 51 sq. mi. of rural area surrounding Ireton. The total cost for the two projects is projected to be $6,400,000. Both grants will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premise network in these rural areas with the capability of broadband speeds up to 1 Gbps.
“Being awarded these grants is an incredible honor,” comments Doug Boone, CEO of Premier Communications. “We put a great deal of work into applying for these grants because we know how important it is for our customers to have access to robust broadband services. We feel this displays our commitment to serving our customers with the very best technology possible no matter where they live.” Boone continues, “not only do these grants assist Premier, the state funding speaks to the Governor’s emphasis on improving and expanding broadband infrastructure in rural areas of our state.”
The grant program was originally created under Governor Branstad’s administrationwith the purpose of deploying broadband to Iowans who currently do not have access to 25 Megabits per second download and 3 Megabits per second upload speeds. Governor Reynolds has since worked to fund the grant and make it available to communications companies throughout the state.
Premier Communications will use the funds to build fiber optic infrastructure in rural Ireton, Hull and Boyden.
For more information about the projects approved for the grants, click here.