There are currently multiple options for phone or high speed broadband with plans to provide gigabyte service by mid-2017 to the Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park and the City of Pikeville.
Fast, reliable broadband internet is a necessity in the business world now. Businesses, both large and small, need to have access to product orders, company headquarters, inventories, and other information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Business in our community will be able to compete globally with faster broadband speeds. Fast and dependable broadband is an economic lifeline paving the way to increased job creation, education, and health access.
KentuckyWired is a new, statewide project recommended by the SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) initiative. This will bring fast broadband to every county in the state, beginning in Eastern Kentucky. With the KentuckyWired project, Pikeville and Eastern Kentucky are breaking down the geographic and financial barriers to connect our community globally, allowing greater access to education, healthcare, and economic development.
The Eastern Kentucky region (this includes Pikeville, Kentucky) will be the first priority area, with work beginning in the summer of 2015. The backbone work is expected to be completed in Pikeville by April of 2017.
The KentuckyWired project is estimated to total $324 million. The funding will be provided by both federal and state levels, as well as the private sector.
This project is the largest P3 fiber partnership in the country and the only one which is fully open-access.
The city has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state of Kentucky to become the first-gigabyte community in the state.
The City of Pikeville continues to work through the various stages of our broadband strategy for the community. We are working on the most effective way to take full advantage of the state’s project. CTC, one of the nation’s leading experts in developing a broadband strategy, completed a full feasibility study in 2016 to assist and guide Pikeville on constructing our last mile. This will improve current healthcare and education sectors, while also assisting Pikeville in diversifying our economy with the latest, greatest, affordable, and high speed broadband service. This will create a virtual presence and connect Pikeville globally. Funding is committed by the City of Pikeville to implement the first phase and launch of the project. The city intends to select its partner through a Request for Proposal process in early 2017, whoever is selected will assist the city in the designing, engineering, construction, and operation of the new system. The city intends on implementing and operating a full open access network by the end of 2018.