WILL; a production of Illinois Public Media.

A contractor installs fiber-optic cable next to a field in Ford County for Ideatek, a local broadband company based in the town of Buhler. Ideatek has used fiber lines like this one to bring high-speed internet to several towns with populations of just a few hundred people in southwest Kansas.

217 Today: Small broadband providers get rural customers connected in places telecom giants left behind

The 217 Today Podcast