General Questions

• When are you going to clean up the mess in my yard?
  Nobody likes a mess in their yard, and we understand that, but to build fiber-optic lines we must bury it underground. We work with multiple different contractors who help us dig, put conduit piping underground, run fiber lines through the conduit, and then put the moved-Earth back into the areas that were dug out. We also put grass seed in the areas we dug up. The goal after installation is complete, is to make your yard look like we never dug any lines. We like to think long-term at Craw-Kan and installation might be messy for a short while, but you will have access to some of the fastest internet in the world, potentially for the rest of your life!
• Do I have to get a phone line if I also get internet?
  A landline phone might be required depending on your location. The best way to find out is to call us at 620-724-8235. If you must get a landline, because you live in a member area, the good news is you receive a capital credit check annually, which is a good portion of what your annual phone bill costs reflect.
• When are you coming to my area with fiber?
  We wish we could be everywhere at once. Building fiber-optic lines takes time and a lot of manpower. We are trying to be down as many roads in southeast Kansas as we can. Just driving every road in southeast Kansas would take a large amount of time, let alone digging lines on all those roads. That process would take time, a lot of people working, and it would cause a mess that would mimic a natural disaster. We can only have so many contractors at a time, and we have them working as hard as they can. We do not want to tear apart a whole town in one week, and on top of that, if it rains, we can’t do any digging, so we need consistent, good weather to progress. To avoid a logistical mess, we work in sections of town, strategically, to get the most done in one area without having to move around. Another reason we may not be in your area is because you might be out of range of service. We are expanding into new territories often but building a main line of fiber down a road costs a ton, so if there is demand in a particular area for fiber-optic internet, we would love to expand into a neighborhood near you. Sometimes, if we want to move into a new town or larger section of a county, we might have to consult our Board of Directors for approval. Other issues we encounter that slow our expansion process is building fiber under bodies of water like river and lakes, under railroads, and other natural or man-made obstacles.
• Why do I have to pay a Prepayment?
  Prepayment is dependent on a soft credit inquiry. We do a check on your credit to find out if you need to make a prepayment. This soft credit inquiry does not lower your credit score. Once this process happens, we know if a prepayment is necessary or not. This is applied to your future bill. For example, if you have a prepayment of $100, that $100 will be used to pay $100 worth of your most recent bills. Simple as that! To recap, this is NOT a deposit, rather a prepayment based on a credit inquiry. .
• Is fiber internet really faster?
  Fiber uses light signals compared to copper lines that use electrical signals. That means the data capacity of fiber-optic lines and the lack of interference (a common issue on standard copper lines) makes the light-driven data technology perfect for delivering blistering gigabit speeds.
• How fast is a Gigabit?
  One megabit per second (Mbps) equals 1000 kilobit per second (Kbps) or one million bits per second (bps). One gigabit per second (Gbps) equals 1000 Mbps, one million Kbps or one billion bps. Want to know how fast Gigabit really is?
• What can I do with a Gigabit of speed?
  All that data means that you can do everything you already do online, but a lot faster and a lot more of it! Your current streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, as well as web browsing will be supported, but with higher speeds, less buffering, and less congestion on your home network. That said, there are multiple specific uses that benefit dramatically from the Craw-Kan’s fiber-optic lines that gigabit connectivity offers.

  • Streaming video: All that bandwidth means lag-free HBOGo, Netflix, and more, even when you are watching different shows on different devices at once. But the real improvement is that you can watch 4K videos (and higher), which uses four to five times as much data as a 1080p stream, without the ceaseless loading and buffer times you may experience on standard broadband.
  • Online gaming: Anyone who has ever lost a game due to a slow connection will appreciate the switch to gigabit speeds. With matching upload/download speeds, you will never need to worry about high ping rates and spotty connections.
  • Multiple users: Finally, the best reason to switch to gigabit speed isn't to satisfy one’s prolific data hog like a teenager who is online all day and night, but rather several users. A family of four can max out a broadband connection quite easily with little more than a Netflix-binge-watching-party and a round of Fortnite online, but gigabit speeds promise to support far more data simultaneously, making it possible to stream music in the kitchen, a movie in the living room, and a game in the kids' rooms without a missing a beat.
• Do I qualify for fiber-optic internet?
  The best way to see if you qualify for fiber-optic service is to fill out the form below. This form lets us know if you live in a region we currently serve. If you do, we can move you along in the process and set-up a drop point to run a fiber line to your home and/or business. If you do not qualify, that means you, unfortunately, cannot receive service at this time, but by filling out this form it shows us where there is a demand in the community, so we know where to continue our expansion. Please fill out this form if you are interested in our service. Who Should Fill Out This Form:  https://ruralfiber.org/?source=fbfaq#prequalify

  • If you are interested in fiber internet and you have not filled out the form before.
  • If you have filled out the form before, but you are moving to a new residence. If so, please put your new address down on the form, not your previous one.
• What if a better technology comes along in a few years?
  Fiber networks are future proof. The speeds capable on fiber networks are still increasing with new electronics. These networks will have paid for themselves many times over before becoming obsolete.
• Do we really need faster connections?
  Some of us do. When Eisenhower decided to push the Interstate system, it was not the idea that everyone would have to use it. However, business and government functions were greatly improved by this massive infrastructure project. Over time more and more people recognized its value. We need more choices. Those that need fast and affordable connections should have the option.
• What about broadband over powerlines?
  Broadband over electrical power lines is ultimately too expensive, delivers speeds that are too slow, and has too many bad side effects.
• Why not wireless?
  In short, Wi-Fi is great for mobility, but does not offer competitively fast speeds or the reliability compared to wired connections. Fiber is a long-term investment that facilitates wireless, but wireless is not a replacement for a full fiber-to-the-home network. A fiber network could lay the groundwork (literally) for a wireless network. The fiber network would offer more potential locations to add wireless access points.
• What is Bandwidth?
  Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be sent through a network channel over a given period. For example, a fiber-optic internet connection can transmit 1 Gigabit of data per second. To read more on the topic of Bandwidth, check out this article!