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JERSEYVILLE, Ill. – When she moved to the country, Pamela Ware gained a turkey named Tom to keep her grounded; but also, some limited internet access.

“We’re right in dead center of 180 acres,” says Pamela Ware, rural internet user. “If you look at it, we’re surrounded by farmland.”

Ware had heard the murmurs about Wisper and liked the sound of internet speeds like she once had in town.

“I’m excited they’re getting bigger,” says Ware. “I can’t say enough about them. I don’t usually get excited about my internet service by any means. But I’m glad for what they’re doing. They’re showing that small businesses can still do well.”

Wisper, the Mascoutah, Illinois based high-speed wireless company is currently in six states, trying to offer high access internet for rural parts of the region stuck working from home or virtual learning during COVID-19.

“Just like cable and DSL, except we don’t require a phone line or cable into your house,” says Nathan Stooke, CEO and founder of Wisper. “We install an antenna on the outside of your house or office and run a cable down to a wireless router just like anybody else, except we’re coming from local towers and buildings in the area.”

Nathan Stooke launched the company from his garage in 2003.

Placed atop a water tower in jersey county, or a grain bin in town, the towers throughout these parts of the riverbend help to keep this small town in a rural part of the country connected.

Crucial for this mom with her son doing virtual learning from home.

“I can’t even imagine trying to do this without having good internet,” says Ware. “Because we need that back and forth good communication with his teachers. If I’ve got a question, I’ve got to be able to go to my phone email or writing on my computer email.”

“We won $200 million of CAF or Connect America Fund,” says Stooke. “So, we have 80,000 locations across Southern Illinois and Missouri; we’ll be building out. A little in Indiana and Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. But 68,000 of those are in Missouri. But we’re building out our network.”

And making waves with Wisper.