IdeaTek is beginning its rollout of gigabit fiber internet in Emporia, investing $14 million into bringing their network to the city. Construction will start immediately with certain neighborhoods gaining access this fall and plans to expand to 10,000 locations across the city by the end of 2026.
“We’re really looking to be involved in the community,” said James Krstolich, community relations & public relations manager at IdeaTek, “what sets us apart is that we’re very involved in the communities that we serve and we want to treat it like home.”
IdeaTek will have several plans available that range in price and speed. The “Basic” plan will be the cheapest plan at $49 a month for 100 Mbps download/upload. Plans will scale up to Gigabit (1000 Mbps download/upload) and beyond.
A unique feature of IdeaTek’s business model is that they do not participate in bandwidth throttling. Whereas some internet service providers (ISPs) intentionally limit user speeds after reaching data caps, with IdeaTek you can use as much data as you’d like without having to worry about slower speeds.
IdeaTek also has its Essential Access Program that offers discounts to its internet service plans for qualifying low-income households that offer plans as low as $29 a month.
“We don’t want to leave anyone behind that may be facing financial hardship or on one income or on disability,” said Krstolich, “we believe everybody in the state of Kansas should have fair and adequate internet service.”
The internal program was created in response to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal program that offered discounts on internet service to millions of households, ending in 2024 due to a lack of funding from Congress.
Instead of letting those who may be stretching their paycheck go without internet access, IdeaTek created its own internal program to bridge the gap left by the ACP’s termination.
IdeaTek is also currently reaching out to Emporia State University and school districts in the area to work towards providing service for them and building relationships with important entities in the community.