The Salllisaw-based CSWeb.net, a subsidiary of the family-owned Nix Medical Supply, received $531,000 to provide high-speed wireless Internet service to Gans, which has a population of about 208.
Pat Nix Sr. of Nix Medical Supply said the company plans to use part of its grant to build a community center in Gans offering 10 public access computers with high-speed Internet connections available seven days a week.
The grants will enable CSWeb.net and the other grant recipients to build a broadband network for their respective communities and provide high-speed Internet to the public schools, city halls, and the police and fire departments at no charge for two years. CSWeb.net, which already provides dial-up service to Gans, will sell its broadband Internet service to residents and businesses there in packages that range from $29.95 to $59.95 per month.
Pat Nix Jr. said the company applied for the grant in May, and the construction of the system is about one-fourth complete. The system should be operable in three to four months, he added.
"We don't know yet how many towers or repeaters we'll need, but all Gans residents will have access to the high-speed Internet," he said.
Nix said CSWeb.net has paid to provide high-speed Internet service to other rural areas.
He said, "The grant was the result of a court ruling some time ago to make sure people had access to high-speed or broad band services. The criteria require that the community doesn't have access and has a population of less than 20,000."
The grant also requires that the Internet access be offered free for a two-year period.
"We already have the school, the police station and city hall set up," Nix said. "We will also get service to the fire department."
Nix said the weather does not affect the service. He said the service is provided not by satellite but from tower to tower, which is not impacted by the weather.
