The Broadband Guy — How networking is saving Wyoming's small towns

It's a frigid, blustery January day in Guernsey, Wyoming.

As snow flurries whip through the air, a helmet-clad man climbs into a bucket lift, hoisting himself to the top of a tower on the city’s perimeter. He and a teammate hang antennas, run cables, connect wires and test circuits.

The rattling din of diesel engines cuts through the small-town quiet. There are more wandering antelope, curiously pricking up their ears at the commotion, than humans out on this grassy, windblown prairie.

About 1,151 people call this single-square-mile town in southeast Wyoming home, according to census estimates.

Guernsey’s remoteness, with its ample fresh air and breathing room, appeals to many of its residents; but it comes with challenges. For one: internet.

Despite its largely remote nature, Wyoming isn’t lacking in internet capability compared to the rest of the country. The state has invested significantly in improving its broadband access. For example, the Unified Network was installed in 2014 and provided a sprawling web of public internet infrastructure across the state. It means Wyoming schools rank first in the nation for internet connectivity, and Wyoming is one of only two states with 100 percent connectivity to all its schools.

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