Lonnie Lawson addressing attendees at Broadband and Your Communities Workshop 101: Getting Started.

Nearly 100 community leaders and elected officials in Southern and Eastern Kentucky attended the first Broadband and Your Community Workshop 101: Getting Started on Thursday, June 29, at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset.

The event included leaders in the broadband industry who discussed network ownership and financing, network management, and broadband providers and partners. A panelist of industry and civic leaders discussed their triumphs and challenges to increasing broadband availability and adoption in their communities. Attendees were encouraged to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

The workshop is the first in a series designed to educate attendees on how communities can capitalize on KentuckyWired. KentuckyWired is a statewide fiber optic network which will deliver affordable, high-capacity, high-speed broadband access in communities throughout Kentucky. The project is based on an unprecedented partnership between The Center for Rural Development, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and private sector partners to build out the network’s middle mile.

Workshop 102 is currently in the planning stages. Each workshop in the series will take a deeper dive into community development and planning of last mile services. Those who participated in the first workshop are encouraged to further their knowledge by attending upcoming workshops. Information for the next workshop will be distributed as soon as it is available.

More information about the history and progress of KentuckyWired is available at kentuckywired.ky.gov. You may also join our mailing list to receive news and information about KentuckyWired from The Center for Rural Development or contact Larry Combs, Broadband Implementation Manager for The Center, at lrcombs@centertech.com.