A front page story in this week’s Prairie  Star tell about a video crew that visited Sedan on Tuesday to interview community leaders about the potential impact of a new Internet Communications Center. Such a center is still in the planning and will happen only if an application is successful to provide more than $2 funding to remake the landmark Bradford Hotel into a high tech center for broadband services.

The final decision on Sedan’s application probably won’t come until early next year, but local officials believe a press conference held in Topeka on Monday was a positive move. Read more

The Broadband Internet Center grant application that was to be announced in November has been delayed at least another month, according to information received today from Harry Watts with Kansas Farm Bureau.

Officials in Washinton, D.C. have indicated a desire to gather more information before they make the final determinations on successful grant awardees.

The application written Kansas Farm Bureau has the backing of Southern Kansas Telephone Co., the Southeast Kansas Education Center at Greenbush, the Sedan Area Economic Development Committee, Sedan Chamber of Commerce, Quad County Enterprises and numerous community leaders.

If successful, the Bradford Hotel in downtown Sedan will be the site of considerable activity intended to bring broadband internet services to rural America.

The governmental relations director for Kansas Farm Bureau described Sedan’s application for a Broadband Internet Center to be a promising one.

“I really believe these funds, totaling more than $2.2 million, will be approved and that we’ll be start with construction in the Bradford Hotel by January,” said Harry Watts who was largely responsible for writing Read more