In a landmark step for rural connectivity, Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Executive Director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office Mike Sanders to discuss a groundbreaking $14.5 million initiative bringing state-of-the-art Community Access Portals to local public libraries across the state. Powered by federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund dollars, this first-in-the-nation program is deploying up to 175 soundproof, high-speed digital access modules to rural communities. By creating secure, high-tech environments within trusted local libraries, the initiative targets long-standing gaps in rural healthcare, workforce development, and digital literacy, ensuring small-town residents can access essential services without traveling long distances to metro centers.
High-Tech Offices for Local Communities: Inside the Portals
During their conversation, Farm Director KC Sheperd likened the new Community Access Portals to private, high-tech micro-offices designed for high-stakes digital communication. Executive Director Mike Sanders confirmed that description, emphasizing that these self-contained units provide quiet, soundproof, and secure spaces equipped with high-speed internet connections for individual and family use.
To ensure broad community access, the program is installing two distinct module configurations in participating libraries:
- Standard Access Portals: Built as private, soundproof booths equipped with advanced video conferencing equipment, high-resolution screens, and high-speed data feeds. These units cater to individuals needing a quiet space for virtual doctor appointments, remote job interviews, workforce training courses, or online family check-ins.
- ADA-Compliant Access Portals: Specially designed for individuals with mobility challenges or those requiring assistance during appointments. These larger units feature motorized, height-adjustable workstations where computer monitors and desks lower seamlessly to comfortable levels for wheelchair users. They also include extra seating so caregivers, family members, or translators can join the session inside the module.
Funding, Deployment, and Zero-Cost Community Access
The initiative is backed by a $14.5 million allocation from the state’s ARPA Capital Projects Fund allocation. A critical feature of the initiative is that all 175 portals are provided completely free of charge to participating public libraries and local library systems.
The initial rollout kicks off in Kingfisher, which hosts the ribbon-cutting for the state’s first operational portal unit. Strong demand across rural Oklahoma has already driven applications from numerous regional library systems and municipal facilities, including:
- Kingfisher Memorial Library
- Yukon Public Library
- Woodward Public Library
- Enid Public Library
- Okeene Public Library
- Watonga Public Library
- Eastern Oklahoma Library System
Rather than placing these units in urban centers like Oklahoma City, Edmond, or Tulsa, the program focuses squarely on rural communities that have historically lacked high-speed infrastructure and digital service access.
Expanding Telehealth and Rural Economic Development
For many rural Oklahomans, seeing a medical specialist or attending professional development classes historically meant driving hours to major urban centers. By providing private, high-speed connection points inside local libraries, these portals eliminate travel barriers and expand local access to critical services.
Telemedicine and Rural Healthcare
Patients can schedule virtual visits with primary care doctors, mental health counselors, and specialized medical professionals in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, or out-of-state facilities. Conducting these visits in soundproof library portals protects patient privacy while saving rural families hundreds of miles in travel costs.
Workforce and Skill Acquisition
The portals function as quiet learning centers where residents can earn professional certifications, complete trade licensing programs, participate in virtual job fairs, and attend remote interviews without broadband interruptions at home.
Closing the Statewide Broadband Gap: The Path to 100% Access
As Farm Director KC Sheperd noted during the broadcast, Oklahoma has made dramatic strides in broadband expansion over recent years. Sanders highlighted key milestones charting the state’s path toward total connectivity:
- Progress to Date: Three years ago, high-speed broadband availability in Oklahoma stood at approximately 85%. Today, infrastructure projects have expanded coverage statewide.
- Near-Term Target (95% Coverage): By the end of this year, Oklahoma is on track to reach 95% high-speed internet access across the state.
- The Final 5% Goal: The Broadband Office is deploying targeted grant programs to overcome the most geographically difficult, rugged, and expensive terrain in rural Oklahoma, closing the remaining gap to achieve 100% coverage before the agency’s planned sunset in 2030.
Strict Speed and Performance Standards
To ensure network reliability, state-administered grants enforce robust baseline speed requirements. While standard entry thresholds require at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, most core program implementations deliver symmetrical 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload speeds.
Technological Impact on Agriculture and Emergency Services
High-speed connectivity directly impacts agricultural production and community safety across rural Oklahoma:
- Precision Agriculture: Reliable internet enables producers to utilize real-time soil sensing, livestock tracking, automated irrigation systems, and data-driven crop management technologies.
- Emergency Management: During wildfire outbreaks and natural disasters, high-speed networks allow emergency personnel to deploy drones for damage assessment and real-time situational monitoring, keeping first responders out of harm’s way.
To learn more about the portals, you can click here:
There will be a ribbon Cutting on Thursday, July 30th in Kingfisher:
Event Details:
What: Ribbon cutting for state’s first Community Access Portal
When: Remarks will start at 2:00pm, Thursday, July 30
Where: Kingfisher Memorial Library, 505 W Will Rogers Dr, Kingfisher, OK 73750
