DILLER, NE — Another group of rural southeast Nebraska have access to fiberoptic internet.

Diller Telephone Diode Communications recently completed work on a project north of Ellis and east of Plymouth that provides fiber internet to 70 homes in the area.

Diller Telephone Diode Communications CEO Randy Sandman says it took 26 miles of fiber lines to complete.

"We're really happy to get that done," he said. "We in fact got it done a couple of months ahead of time."

Connecting rural residents to fiber is a different animal compared to hooking up a town to the high speed internet option. Crews have to take great care while installing the lines, which are made of glass and only about as thick as a human hair.

"We've got a great staff with many many years of experience," Sandman said. "We've also got a great relationship with a contractor that is dedicated to putting fiber in the ground in rural areas."

As tech becomes more advanced and more integrated into the ag industry, Sandman says having access to high internet speeds that fiberoptic cables provide is important for ag producers.

"People need fiber for the expanded capacity to do homeschooling or to do work from home, but in the ag business, it's just as crucial," Sandman said. "Every farm needs to be having a high broadband capability."

The company isn’t done yet either working to bring fiber internet to rural southeast Nebraskans. The company is awaiting word on two grants to begin work on two other projects. One would be supplemented by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in Jefferson County to provide the service to 100 homes. The other project, in Gage County, would connect 40 more homes to fiber internet. 

"We look forward to continuing to serve more of our neighbors," Sandman said. "Just to fill in the gaps. Our company is wanting to expand just in a methodical way to hook more people up to fiber broadband."