October 6, 2022 Thayne, Wyoming – Silver Star announced today that the company has been awarded a USDA Rural Development (RUS-RD) grant to extend fiber optic cable to three underserved areas in their service territory in Western Wyoming.  The grant award totals $6.0 million, Silver Star will match $2.4 million, and covers areas in Game Creek (extending as far south as Horse Creek Road), Fall Creek in Teton County, Wyoming, and Forest Dell in Lincoln County, Wyoming.

Silver Star is a regional leader in fiber optics, which has been the company’s primary technology for new broadband infrastructure since 2005. Silver Star in recent years has announced an aggressive 5-year plan to build out fiber in its legacy markets of Star Valley, Swan Valley and Teton Valley, while also pursuing grant opportunities, such as this RUS-RD grant, to connect additional underserved rural areas.

“Access to gigabit Broadband Fiber connectivity is critical in the communities we service. This is allowing our families and small businesses the tools to access work, education and telehealth in today’s digital world,” said Elizabeth Acosta- McCune, VP of Sales & Marketing for Silver Star. “We also want to recognize the efforts of the individuals within those communities for their amazing support.”

Acosta emphasized that government grants come with additional requirements that must be completed prior to the start of construction. The grant allows five years for completion.