Fiber optics company Fatbeam LLC, of Coeur d’Alene, and sister company Ednetics Inc. have purchased a Twin Falls, Idaho-based tech company that serves education-based organizations and local and state governments.

The acquired company, 20-year-old Tek-Hut Inc., bills itself as the largest internet service provider for education in Idaho. The company works with more than 70 school districts across Idaho and more than 200 across the U.S.

Fatbeam will assume Tek-Hut’s internet services and business voice services, while Ednetics will manage the cybersecurity and education-related voice services side of operations.

Fatbeam builds high-capacity fiber optic networks and leases connectivity through what is referred to as dark fiber—or fiber infrastructure—on a wholesale basis to businesses, hospitals, and other entities. Founded in 2010, Fatbeam’s network now covers more than 73 markets across the western U.S.

Fatbeam and Ednetics state in a press release that Tek-Hut employees will continue functioning in similar roles.

“This is ultimately a success story of three Idaho-based technology companies with a common commitment to improving the connectivity and efficiency of Idaho schools, governments, and businesses,” says Fatbeam CEO Paul Merritt.

Adds Ednetics CEO Shawn Swanby, “The talent and passion of the Tek-Hut team will be a valuable addition as we continue to invest in Idaho and the western U.S.”

Tek-Hut co-founders Nate Bondelid and Dallas Gray will operate in a consulting role for a period and say they will pursue other opportunities after the transition is complete.

In early 2020, SDC Capital Partners LLC, a private investment company in New York, bought a 51% interest in Fatbeam for $36 million.

Fatbeam co-founder Greg Green told the Journal then that the move allowed him and fellow co-founder Shawn Swanby to pay off their high-interest loans while adding millions to the company’s balance sheet.