AT&T is upping its U-Verse game in Kentucky with a $675 million investment. That investment has gone into building out wireless and wired networks in the state since 2011 in an effort to provide better TV and internet services.
The investment has improved internet availability for 20,000 people and over 500 businesses. In 2013 alone the company made 760 network upgrades in Kentucky, including new cell sites, addition of wireless and wired network capacity, and new broadband network connections.
Some 110 cities in Kentucky will now have 4G LTE access and Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby will also see improved data capacity enabling race watchers to post more large hat selfies.
Kentucky for its part is also seeking fiber optic providers for a larger fiber optic project. The project, called the Next Generation Kentucky Information Highway, is estimated to cost about $100 million and will take up to three years to build with 3,000 miles of fiber infrastructure.
So far the state has provided $30 million in bond funding for the work, with another $40 million slated to come from federal and private partners. The fiber work will focus on laying middle-mile networks for Kentuckians. The state’s RFI on the work closed May 7.
