October 5 – High-speed broadband will be available to 678 homes and businesses around Justus-Tiawah by the end of 2026.
Atlas Broadband, a service provider based in Oologah, will provide these customers with internet at 100 Mbps download and upload speeds. According to the Federal Communications Commission, high-speed internet has a download speed of at least 100 Mbps and an upload speed of at least 20 Mbps.
Brett Williston, Atlas’ executive director of business development, said Atlas serves approximately 4,000 primarily rural customers in Craig, Mayes, Nowata, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa and Washington counties. Atlas currently serves customers in the Oologah and Inola areas.
Including 678 Rogers County customers, Atlas is expanding broadband to 2,204 homes and businesses.
The $17.6 million project is funded by a grant from the Oklahoma Broadband Office, using money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The office has also awarded grants to Cox Communications and Premier Holdings LLC to bring high-speed internet to Rogers County.
“Sustainable economic development requires a talented and educated workforce, which will only happen if the right infrastructure exists,” Williston said. “This partnership between Atlas Broadband and the Oklahoma Broadband Office will address these challenges and help level the playing field for these rural communities.”
Williston said the broadband office selected Atlas to expand broadband in Justus-Tiawah through a competitive bidding process. The office selected the provider that would serve each underserved area, based on which provider could serve the most homes for less than $10,000 each.
The agency awarded Cox a $5.4 million grant and Premier a $2.5 million grant. Combined with $1 million from Rogers County and another $2 million from Cox, District 3 Commissioner Ron Burrows said about 98% of Rogers County should have high-speed internet in the next two years.
About 77.68% of homes and businesses in Rogers County have high-speed internet; by August 2024, about 72% did so.
Williston said customers in the Justus-Tiawah area who want to know if their home or business will receive broadband can call Atlas at (918) 272-1640. He said a map isn’t available to the public yet, but Atlas can see if a specific address will be covered.
Households around Justus-Tiawah earning less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty level can receive Atlas internet for as little as $30 a month, Williston said.
The federal government gave lower-income households discounts on their internet service through the Affordable Connectivity Program, but the program expired in June. But because the expansion is being paid for with federal ARPA funds, Atlas can provide a discount.
“Since the FBI got rid of that program, we stepped in and said, ‘No, we’re going to help you get a low-cost program,’” Williston said.
