Kinetic strikes $6.8M public-private broadband partnership with Bullitt County, KY
The network build, expected to begin in early October, will provide up to 8 Gbps to eligible homes and businesses in several parts of the county, including the unincorporated communities of Cedar Grove, Solitude and Brownington.
As part of the agreement with Kinetic, the county will provide $2 million from its general fund to support the project. Kinetic will invest $4.8 million and cover any cost overruns. Set to be completed next year, Kinetic will lay about 170 miles of optical fiber cable to bring high-speed internet to residences, businesses and schools.
Residents and businesses can sign up when the fiber reaches their buildings.
“I applaud Kinetic and Bullitt County for investing together, in partnership, so that some 6,300 homes and businesses in remote areas of this great county benefit from fiber broadband,” Bullitt County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Anita Stump said at a project announcement at the Bullitt County Central Library in Shepherdsville Monday, Sept. 25. “High-speed internet, like we’re getting here, is a necessity in today’s world, and the combined investment of Kinetic and Bullitt County will ensure that more and more people here benefit from fiber broadband.”
New speed experience
Kinetic’s entry into Bullitt County will give residents and businesses a new speed experience. Accessing 8 Gbps, or even a gigabit, has never been a reality in Kentucky.
According to Ookla’s Speedtest, the median download speed in Kentucky is about 191/23 Mbps.
The new proposed project was praised by state and county officials.
State Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, said at the event that high-speed internet is an enabler for Kentucky and Bullitt County. “High-speed internet is a key part of our plan to build a better Kentucky and a better Bullitt County,” he said. “It allows Kentuckians to stay connected with school, healthcare services and family, and is critical to the success of our state’s economy and future job creation.”
Bullitt County Judge-Executive Jerry Summers, R-Shepherdsville, said that while serving rural parts of Kentucky is challenging for all service providers, “broadband has become an integral part of our daily life.”
“This partnership signals the start of new possibilities for Bullitt County,” he said. “Technology is ever evolving, and this county deserves broadband that will handle current and future demands. Bullitt County is fortunate to have a community partner like Kinetic providing the best solution to connectivity for our residents and businesses.”
Enabling digital literacy
Complementing the upcoming network build is the Kinetic Digital Literacy Program, which the company demonstrated during the project launch. The Bullitt County Central Library is the nation’s first public library to offer Kinetic’s free online enrichment program.
Kinetic’s Digital Literacy Program includes 12 easy-to-understand video courses in three categories—essential computer skills, basic office software skills and daily technology skills. Anyone anywhere can take a class for free anytime by visiting Kinetic’s digital literacy website. They can also learn more about the program by clicking this link.
“This is another way we at Kinetic are supporting people here in Bullitt County,” said Tony Thomas, CEO of Windstream. “For people with limited access to computers or the internet, we’re making Kinetic’s courses available at public libraries across the country so that people can learn using library computers. We can do this thanks to our relationship with the American Library Association.
While Bullitt County is Kinetic’s latest fiber target, it is part of a broader $2 billion initiative the company has taken to expand gigabit internet service across its 18-state footprint. In Kentucky, Kinetic plans to have fiber in every county it serves over the next few years. The company has invested over $211 million in just two years to expand broadband access in the state.
Kinetic also recently opened a new 30,000-square-foot regional headquarters at the University of Kentucky’s Coldstream Research Campus in Lexington.
Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.