In 2023, the residents of Kentucky who have hitherto been unserved or under-served with high speed internet are going to get better access to the World Wide Web.
Thanks to the Better Internet Initiative Listening Tour organized by the Office of Broadband Development when they made their fifth stop in Louisville in February, the state government has been able to pinpoint areas where fast internet is needed urgently.
The group comprised internet providers, government agencies, organizations and non-profit organizations who had been on an extended 14-stop tour in February 2023.
The main objective of this tour was to get different communities in Kentucky to participate in the discussion on high speed internet. Of particular importance was the focus on providing internet to underserved rural communities.
Today, companies such as Spectrum, Windstream, and AT&T are already offering high speed internet in various places in Kentucky. While there are still many unserved and underserved areas, the government has solid plans underway to get everyone aboard the broadband internet bandwagon.
But before they get there, it is best to understand how the process started, and what the Kentuckians can expect.
What the Better Internet Initiative is all about
The Kentucky Better Internet Initiative is one of the key factors of the larger Better Kentucky Plan, the brainchild of Gov. Andy Beshear, to help in the post-COVID-19 recovery by providing clean water, better internet connectivity to schools and repairing roads and bridges.
The Better Internet Initiative’s main objective is the provision of high speed internet to the unserved as well as the underserved rural communities in Kentucky.
The fund for this project is going to be used to assist state and private agencies to construct the remaining part of the internet connectivity in Kentucky’s unserved communities. As the governor said, the unserved communities and those whose download internet speed is below 10Mbps would be prioritized in this fund.
Also, the internet service providers that will be funded by this program to provide internet connectivity to the selected communities would be allowed to take part in the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program.
This program supports the monthly spending on broadband internet for low income households.
What high speed internet means for Kentuckians
As Beth Brinley, the deputy secretary of the Education Cabinet said during this Kentucky tour, most of the people working in various jobs have at least two internet devices.
To know the cost of high speed internet, they first of all need to understand the devices they need for entertainment, work and other services. They will then have to figure out the cost of the internet across all of their devices be they iPads, laptops, or smartphones.
According to Brinley, the workforce without any digital skills in Kentucky makes about $15 an hour. However, those with digital skills make up to $49 an hour. Therefore, equipping the work force with digital skills and high internet speed is going to open up more job opportunities.
Following the $300 million from the Kentucky Broadband Deployment Fund that was allocated to helping the underserved communities in Kentucky access fast internet, $600 more would be disbursed for the expansion of high speed internet all over Kentucky.
How the planning and coordination takes place
The House Bill 315 authorized the establishment of the Office of Broadband Development. This office is the central location for coordinating broadband internet accessibility all over Kentucky.
This office is also mandated with helping the citizens, educational, health care, agricultural, government operations, and the public safety systems meet their needs appropriately.
Among other things, the Office of Broadband Development has also been running the 14-stop Kentucky program, meeting community members and discussing with them everything about high speed internet access.
They have been discussing what fast internet speed means, what it can be used for, how it can increase productivity for the workforce, and how it can change entertainment in all of the communities.
American Rescue Plan Act’s State Fiscal Recovery Fund disbursement
Kentucky’s Office of Broadband Development is also responsible for disbursing the funds they get from the American Rescue Plan Act’s State Fiscal Recovery Fund.
It plans to award up to $20 million of this money through Kentucky’s Rural Infrastructure Improvement Fund. This money will go into replacement of poles meant for broadband internet deployment among other things.
The office is creating the deployment plan for internet installation starting with the areas that have less than 10 Mbps download speeds.
They are actually fulfilling the federal requirements as laid out in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. To benefit from this program, all the states are required to come up with a high speed internet blueprint.
The concerned people say that the community input helps in finding out where the high speed internet is needed most.
The Office of Broadband Development will use the 14 listening stops in Kentucky to find out which areas need the high speed internet urgently. As of February 2023, 17% of households in Kentucky did not have ANY TYPE OF INTERNET CONNECTION.
Conclusion
With the help of the federal government, proper legislation and policy, Kentucky is determined to connect all of her people to broadband internet.
The outlook for broadband connectivity in Kentucky is very good. With every county set to get 3000 miles or more of fiber optic cabling, the future looks even brighter.
The expansion of broadband internet connectivity will create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.