By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
When the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to make its presence more well known in the United States and Kansas decided to close school buildings for the rest of the semester, Nex-Tech acted quickly on how they could help.
Nex-Tech realized that internet connectivity was going to be important for students’ success with so many online benefits and options.
Dustin Schlaefli, Nex-Tech Director of Customer Engagement, says the company quickly reached out to school districts in their coverage area to see how they could help.
"Schools were able to share addresses of homes that did not have service," said Schlaefli. "We wanted to get a gauge for what the impact would be on us to provide service to those houses. We are asking those families to contact us directly."
There are about 35 schools in Nex-Tech’s service area in Kansas that received surveys to identify which families needed internet connections. Nex-Tech is offering free internet service for student households without services so they can move forward with online continuous learning.
Schlaefli noted if the house had internet connections previously it is a lot easier than trying to do an install with the current social distancing guidelines in place throughout the state.
"It is going to be on a case-by-case basis as to which ones we can get done quickly," Schlaefli said. "If they have had service there before and then those install should be fairly seamless. If there are not previous facilities there, those could take longer."
The free internet offer from Nex-Tech will last through the month of June.
For families with students at home that do not have internet service, please contact your local school for more information or Nex-Tech office. The Great Bend Nex-Tech office can be reached at 620-792-3908.