The Southeastern Kentucky Final Mile (SKY FM) broadband fiber project will begin planning June 8. The project has been awarded a state grant to create an action plan as the first step in expanding high-speed broadband across Clay, Leslie, Perry, Letcher and Knott Counties.
"We are thrilled to be one of the first final mile planning projects funded in the state," said Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander. "We know high-speed fiber networks hold the key to us being able to compete for good-paying jobs, and this consortium of counties is committed to working together and with private industry to make that happen."
The SKY FM project's ultimate goal is to enable public-private partnerships that expand high-speed broadband Internet access in rural southeastern Kentucky.
Funding assistance is being provided through grants from the Kentucky Communications Network Authority (KCNA), and the SOAR's Kentucky Appalachian Regional Development Fund. The SKY FM project will utilize the Commonwealth's master service contract with Kentucky-based Connected Nation Exchange (CNX) as the lead consultant in creating the action plan for a public-private partnership across this five-county consortium.