Hays ? Fort Hays State University is getting $246,000 worth of free fiber optic wiring and service.

The school says in a news release that the gift comes from Nex-Tech and its parent company, Rural Telephone.

Within six months, the company will install a two-gigabyte Ethernet circuit between the Fort Hays campus in southwest Hays and the school’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History in the northeast part of the city. One benefit is it will allow the school to create a backup system in case the school is hit with a disaster.

Within nine months, the company also plans to provide a 20-megabyte symmetrical Internet connection to the 3,825-acre University Farm, where students gain experience on the primarily commercial operation.

The gift also includes free service for the first five years.