Great Plains Communications is Nebraska’s largest independent telecommunications company. It is headquartered in Blair, NE and serves 89 rural communities across the State of Nebraska. It provides High-Speed Internet, Cable Television and Local and Long Distance phone services.
The company, founded in 1910, recently celebrated its centennial anniversary. The tome “Great Plains Communications Centennial 1910-2010: Today’s Legacy, Tomorrow’s Promise” was written to commemorate the event. It has been owned by one family, the Hunt Family, for four generations beginning with founder Emory Clyde Hunt.

Evolution of the Name

Great Plains Communications went through several name changes due mostly to significant expansion throughout the 1900s. The company was originally called the Camp Dewey Telephone Company and was acquired by Great Plains Communications’ founder, E.C. Hunt, in 1910. In 1916, the name was changed to Northern Telephone.
After acquiring five telecommunication companies throughout Nebraska, the company was renamed UniTel of Nebraska in 1974. The name was officially changed to Great Plains Communications in 1984 following the merger of the five companies, which were created through consolidation of telephone companies in several smaller rural towns, operating under the UniTel umbrella.

Expansion

Over the years, Hunt Telephone Properties acquired several smaller telephone companies.

• 1916 – The Camp Dewey Telephone System changes its name to Northern Telephone Company.
• 1926 – The company acquires Blair Telephone Company. The company’s headquarters is relocated to Blair, NE.
• 1938 – The company acquires Union Telephone Company.
• 1940 – The company acquires Central Nebraska Telephone Company.
• 1966 – The company acquires the Skeedee Independent Telephone Company and changes the name to the Nebraska Telephone Company.
• 1974 – The five companies are united under the name Unitel of Nebraska.
• 1984 – The companies are officially merged and the company is renamed Great Plains Communications.
• 1984 – Continental Telephone Company of Nebraska is acquired doubling the size of the company.

The Great Depression

During the great depression, E.C. Hunt allowed customers to pay using a barter system including crops and livestock. The company had a strict no over-charging policy. If bartered items were sold for more than the actual amount of the customer’s bill, the amount was returned to the customer.

Cable Services

In 1979, Great Plains Communications founded Scope Cable Television and began obtaining franchise rights to construct cable television systems in several Nebraska communities. The company’s original channel line-up included 10 channels, thought to be expansive at the time. Digital cable was introduced to customers in 1999.
As of 2011, the company provides cable services to 40 rural communities in Nebraska. Thirty-six towns receive hi-definition digital services including digital video recording capabilities.

Internet Services

Great Plains Communications began offering Internet services with a 56K dial-up speed. The company now provides 1 to 10 Meg residential download speeds depending on location. Business services include access to 2500 miles of fiber providing Ethernet speeds up to 1 GB. The company has begun providing fiber-to-the-home across the state.

Great Plains One Call Service and Great Plains Locating Service

In 1993, Great Plains Communications added two new subsidiaries, Great Plains One Call Service and Great Plains Locating Service. The two companies were formed in response to Nebraska Legislation that required all utility companies to mark their underground facilities with paint and flags if excavation was occurring.
One Call alerted utility companies to upcoming excavation so that they would be able to comply with the new paint-and-flag rule. The Locating Service offered to perform this task for a fee. Great Plains Locating service grew to be the fifth largest firm of its kind in the U.S. serving a seven-state region.
Both companies were sold in 2005.

Great Plains Underground Construction

Great Plains Underground Construction was founded in 2001 to complement the company’s existing telecommunications services. It manages commercial construction projects including burying and laying fiber optic cable and high voltage underground electrical systems.

Allcom Global Services

In order to accommodate large scale telecommunications products, the company expanded beyond Nebraska into global territories with the acquisition of AllCom Global Services in 2006. Allcom designs, engineers and constructs the infrastructure necessary to support voice and data communications.
The company works extensively with U.S. governmental organizations including all branches of the military, NASA, and the Defense Department as well as state and local projects. It is headquartered in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.

Grants and Scholarships

Since 1986, the company has provided grants and scholarships to rural schools and students in the communities the company serves. The program is part of Great Plains Communications “Commitment to the Schools” initiative.
Currently, the company gives $25,000 in grants and $20,000 in scholarships to students each year. Scholarship recipients are encouraged to return to rural Nebraska after college in an effort to fight against rural “brain drain.”

The Hunt Foundation

In 2003, the Robert and Jeanette Hunt Foundation was created to fund long-term projects and assist in community development in Great Plains Communications’ communities. The foundation has provided $250,000 in matching donations to many communities around the State of Nebraska.

Nebraska

• Archer
  Archer
  An archer is a person who uses a bow and arrow; a practitioner of archery.- People with the surname Archer :* Jeffrey Archer, an English author and former politician.* Archer , the surname...
  
  
• Arnold
  Arnold, Nebraska
  Arnold is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 630 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Arnold is located at ....
  
  
• Bancroft
  Bancroft, Nebraska
  Bancroft is a village in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.John Neihardt, who later became Nebraska's poet laureate, lived in Bancroft for twenty years and wrote many of his works there. His study is preserved at the John G...
  
  
• Beemer
  Beemer, Nebraska
  Beemer is a village in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 773 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Beemer is located at on the table lands adjoining the Elkhorn River bottoms, 84 miles from Omaha and nine miles northwest of West Point, near the geographic center of Cuming County...
  
  
• Belgrade
  Belgrade, Nebraska
  Belgrade is a village in Nance County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 134 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Belgrade is located at ....
  
  
• Bloomfield
  Bloomfield, Nebraska
  Bloomfield is a city in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bloomfield is located at ....
  
  
• Broken Bow
  Broken Bow, Nebraska
  Broken Bow is a city in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Custer County.-History:...
  
  
• Byron
  Byron, Nebraska
  Byron is a village in Thayer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 144 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Byron has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
  
  
• Callaway
  Callaway, Nebraska
  Callaway is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 539 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Callaway has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
  
  
• Cedar Rapids
  Cedar Rapids, Nebraska
  Cedar Rapids is a village in Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 407 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cedar Rapids is located at ....
  
  
• Center
  Center, Nebraska
  Center is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, USA. The population was 94 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County.-Geography:Center is located at ....
  
  
• Chadron
  Chadron, Nebraska
  Chadron is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawes County. Chadron is the home of Chadron State College....
  
  
• Champion
  Champion, Nebraska
  Champion is an unincorporated community in central Chase County, Nebraska, United States. It lies near the Champion Mill State Historic Park, southwest of the city of Imperial, the county seat of Chase County. Its elevation is 3,271 feet . Although it is unincorporated, it has a post...
  
  
• Chapman
  Chapman, Nebraska
  Chapman is a village in Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 341 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Chapman is located at ....
  
  
• Chester
  Chester, Nebraska
  Chester is a village in Thayer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 294 at the 2000 census.Chester is notable as being the birthplace of six-man football.-Geography:Chester is located at ....
  
  
• Cody
  Cody, Nebraska
  Cody is a village in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 149.-Geography:Cody is located at ....
  
  
• Cotesfield
  Cotesfield, Nebraska
  Cotesfield is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 66 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Cotesfield is located at ....
  
  
• Creighton
  Creighton, Nebraska
  Creighton is a city in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census. The city was named in honor of John A...
  
  
• Crofton
  Crofton, Nebraska
  Crofton is a city in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 754 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crofton is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Crookston
  Crookston, Nebraska
  Crookston is a village in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 98 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crookston is located at ....
  
  
• Culbertson
  Culbertson, Nebraska
  Culbertson is a village in Hitchcock County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 594 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Culbertson is located at ....
  
  
• Deshler
  Deshler, Nebraska
  Deshler is a city in Thayer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 879 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Deshler is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Dodge
  Dodge, Nebraska
  Dodge is a village in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 700 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dodge is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Eddyville
  Eddyville, Nebraska
  Eddyville is a village in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 96 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Eddyville is located at ....
  
  
• Elgin
  Elgin, Nebraska
  Elgin is a city in Antelope County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 735 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elgin is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Ewing
  Ewing, Nebraska
  Ewing is a village in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 433 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ewing is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Fordyce
  Fordyce, Nebraska
  Fordyce is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 139 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Fordyce is located at ....
  
  
• Gordon
  Gordon, Nebraska
  Gordon is a city in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,612 at the 2010 census.- Geography :Gordon is located at ....
  
  
• Grant
  Grant, Nebraska
  Grant is a city in, and county seat of, Perkins County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2000 census-Geography:Grant is located at ....
  
  
• Hamlet
  Hamlet, Nebraska
  Hamlet is a village in Hayes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 54 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hamlet is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Hay Springs
  Hay Springs, Nebraska
  Hay Springs is a village in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 652 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hay Springs is located at ....
  
  
• Hayes Center
  Hayes Center, Nebraska
  Hayes Center is a village in Hayes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 240 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hayes County.-Geography:Hayes Center is located at ....
  
  
• Herman
  Herman, Nebraska
  Herman is a village in Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 310 at the 2000 census.On July 13, 1899, Herman was struck by a tornado that killed or maimed over fifty people.-History:...
  
  
• Hubbel
  Hubbell, Nebraska
  Hubbell is a village in Thayer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 73 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hubbell is located at ....
  
  
• Huntley
  Huntley, Nebraska
  Huntley is a village in Harlan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 67 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Huntley is located at ....
  
  
• Imperial
  Imperial, Nebraska
  Imperial is a city in Chase County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,982 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chase County.-History:...
  
  
• Indianola
  Indianola, Nebraska
  Indianola is a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 642 at the 2000 census. On 27 March 2004, a fire that started in the town's only grocery store destroyed the store and the city offices....
  
  
• Kilgore
  Kilgore, Nebraska
  Kilgore is a village in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 99 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kilgore is located at ....
  
  
• Lamar
  Lamar, Nebraska
  Lamar is a village in Chase County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 19 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lamar is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Magnet
  McCook, Nebraska
  McCook is a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Red Willow County...
  
  
• McCook
  McCook, Nebraska
  McCook is a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Red Willow County...
  
  
• Merriman
  Merriman, Nebraska
  Merriman is a village in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 118 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Merriman is located at ....
  
  
• Mirage Flats
• Neligh
  Neligh, Nebraska
  Neligh is a city in Antelope County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,651 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Antelope County. The city's name is pronounced .-History:...
  
  
• Niobrara
  Niobrara, Nebraska
  Niobrara is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 370 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Niobrara is located at ....
  
  
• North Bend
  North Bend, Nebraska
  North Bend is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,213 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Bend is located at . It lies on the north bank of the Platte River, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and Nebraska Highway 79...
  
  
• Oakdale
  Oakdale, Nebraska
  Oakdale is a village in Antelope County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 345 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Oakdale is located at ....
  
  
• Oconto
  Oconto, Nebraska
  Oconto is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 141 at the 2000 census.- History:The community was founded in 1887, but was originally called "Olax." The current name was adopted because the original name conflicted with another Nebraska location.-Geography:Oconto...
  
  
• Page
  Page, Nebraska
  Page is a village in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 157 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Page is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Palisade
  Palisade, Nebraska
  Palisade is a village in Hayes and Hitchcock Counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The population was 386 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Palisade is located at...
  
  
• Petersburg
  Petersburg, Nebraska
  Petersburg is a village in Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census. Petersburg is the site of a memorial to Logan Fontenelle, an Omaha chief who was killed near there in a skirmish with Brulé and Arapaho in 1855....
  
  
• Plainview
  Plainview, Nebraska
  Plainview is a city in Pierce County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,353 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
  
  
• Ponca
  Ponca, Nebraska
  Ponca is a city in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 961 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Primrose
  Primrose, Nebraska
  Primrose is a village in Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 69 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Primrose is located at ....
  
  
• Ragan
  Ragan, Nebraska
  Ragan is a village in Harlan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 46 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ragan is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Red Cloud
  Red Cloud, Nebraska
  Red Cloud is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,131 at the 2000 census.-History:The region of present-day Red Cloud was intermittently occupied and used as hunting grounds by the Pawnees until 1833. In that year, a treaty was signed in...
  
  
• Reynolds
  Reynolds, Nebraska
  Reynolds is a village in Jefferson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 88 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Reynolds is located at ....
  
  
• Rushville
  Rushville, Nebraska
  Rushville is a city in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 890 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sheridan County.-Geography:Rushville is located at ....
  
  
• Saint Edward
  St. Edward, Nebraska
  St. Edward is a city in Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 796 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St. Edward is located at ....
  
  
• Saint Helena
• Santee
  Santee, Nebraska
  Santee is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Santee is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Scribner
  Scribner, Nebraska
  Scribner is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 971 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scribner is located at ....
  
  
• Snyder
  Snyder, Nebraska
  Snyder is a village in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Snyder is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Spalding
  Spalding, Nebraska
  Spalding is a village in Greeley County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 537 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Spalding is located at ....
  
  
• Stapleton
  Stapleton, Nebraska
  Stapleton is a village in and the county seat of Logan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 301 at the 2000 census.Stapleton is part of the North Platte, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
  
  
• Stratton
  Stratton, Nebraska
  Stratton is a village in Hitchcock County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 396 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stratton is located at ....
  
  
• Sutherland
  Sutherland, Nebraska
  Sutherland is a village in Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the North Platte, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,129 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sutherland is located at ....
  
  
• Trenton
  Trenton, Nebraska
  Trenton is a village in Hitchcock County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 507 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hitchcock County.-Geography:Trenton is located at ....
  
  
• Tryon
• Venango
  Venango, Nebraska
  Venango is a village in Perkins County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 175 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Venango is located at ....
  
  
• Verdigre
  Verdigre, Nebraska
  Verdigre is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 519 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Verdigre is located at ....
  
  
• Walnut
• Wausa
  Wausa, Nebraska
  Wausa is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 634 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wausa is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• Wilcox
  Wilcox, Nebraska
  Wilcox is a village in Kearney County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 360 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wilcox is located at ....
  
  
• Winnetoon
  Winnetoon, Nebraska
  Winnetoon is a village in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 68 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Winnetoon is located at ....
  
  
• Wisner
  Wisner, Nebraska
  Wisner is a city in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,270 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wisner is located at ....
  
  
• Wolbach
  Wolbach, Nebraska
  Wolbach is a village in Greeley County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 287 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wolbach is located at ....
  
  
• Wood Lake
  Wood Lake, Nebraska
  Wood Lake is a village in Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 72 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood Lake is located at ....
  
  
• Wynot
  Wynot, Nebraska
  Wynot is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 166 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wynot is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....