ProTek Fiber is undertaking a major infrastructure project to install 700 miles of fiber, delivering direct fiber-to-the-home service for more than 10,000 households, farms, businesses, and community anchor institutions across Southern Illinois. To support this initiative, ProTek Fiber secured a $21 million loan through Farmers State Bank of Alto Pass, guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to expand high-speed internet access to rural residents in Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Union, Williamson, and Saline counties.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, USDA is committed to bridging the high-speed internet gap for people all across rural America, including here in rural Illinois,” said USDA Rural Development Illinois State Director Jesus Ortega. “From farmers, businesses, schools, creative professionals and more, fiber-to-home service is essential to the work of people in rural Illinois.”
The investment by Rural Development comes through its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan program, which provides loan guarantees to lenders supporting rural businesses. So far, ProTek has installed around 3.7 million additional feet of underground fiber as part of the project, with about 280,000 feet remaining. The project has already saved dozens of jobs and is expected to create even more employment opportunities.
The initiative features cutting-edge fiber internet technology. For instance, Adtran’s Mosaic One provides SaaS and ALM fiber monitoring with deep passive optical network assurance. The core network hardware is powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprises’ Juniper Networks Inc., known for advanced AI-driven automation software, switches, routers, and network security.