The days of frustrating internet speeds and network connection inconsistencies at the Shannon Industrial Park appear to be over. As of May 1, 2018, fiber internet service with speeds up to 1GB per second upload and download are now available thanks to a public private partnership between the City of Atchison, Atchison County, and Rainbow Communications, which is headquartered in nearby Everest, KS.

Atchison’s Assistant City Manager, Justin Pregont spoke highly of the partnership that lead to the improvement, saying, “Fiber internet with this kind of speed has become as necessary for business growth as water and electricity. This investment makes our community more attractive for existing business growth, but also for new business development.”

In January, the City, County, and Rainbow Communications executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) detailing the terms of the public private partnership. Rainbow Communications committed to installing the new fiber line and connecting to all businesses in the Shannon Industrial Park that wanted the service. The City and the County agreed to offset the cost of that capital project, with each contributing $33,997.73 toward the buildout.

“Our company takes a lot of pride in being a provider of high quality, high value rural broadband service,” said Jason Smith, CEO of Rainbow Communications. “We’re thankful for the partnership of both the City and County governments in Atchison and we’re looking forward to seeing how we can continue to work together in the future.”

The fiber installation project was completed on time and on budget with eight Shannon businesses now connected to the Rainbow network.