A severed line in Kentucky’s statewide broadband network has exacerbated tensions between state officials and a private company responsible for facilitating the expansion of high-speed internet across the state, WDRB-TV reported. KentuckyWired is a 3,300-mile network which spans all 120 counties in the state. KentuckyWired provides the middle-mile backbone for high-speed internet connectivity, offering commercial access to 100G symmetrical data services to public institutions. Its network experienced damage during recent flooding. The severed segment of the line connects Frankfort to Somerset and disrupted a cable containing 288 strands of fiber, approximately half of which are designated as “dark fiber” aimed at supporting broadband expansion in underserved communities.
The Kentucky Communications Network Authority (KCNA), the state agency in charge of KentuckyWired, stated that dark fibers are essential. These dark fibers are intended to be leased to local internet service providers to facilitate broadband access for rural and underserved areas. During a recent virtual board meeting, KCNA Executive Director Doug Hendrix mentioned that fiber operator, Accelecom, also known as Open Fiber Kentucky, which accesses and leases dark fibers from the KentuckyWired network was not fulfilling that obligation.
By tapping into KentuckyWired’s middle-mile infrastructure, Open Fiber/Accelecom in turn was to enable local internet service providers, municipalities, and businesses with last mile connectivity to extend broadband services directly to homes and enterprises, especially in underserved rural areas. Hendrix claims that Open Fiber/Accelecom has failed to meet the foundational requirement of the project, pointing out that “that the KentuckyWired network is an open access network, with the goal being to expand broadband to the commonwealth.” He claimed several ISPs have reached out to KCNA in frustration, saying Open Fiber/Accelecom either denied them access to the dark fiber or claimed they had a policy against leasing it.
In response, Open Fiber/Accelecom pushed back, saying it is the state that breached the contract. “We intend to prove that KCNA has repeatedly breached its contract with Accelecom, culminating in its unilateral decision to terminate the parties’ agreement and disconnect the customers it was created to serve,” Accelecom CEO Brad Kilbey argues.
KCNA terminated its contract with Open Fiber/Accelecom in January, WDRB-TV reported. A Franklin Circuit Court ruling later ordered KCNA to give Open Fiber/Accelecom customers at least 30 days’ notice that the contract had ended. The dispute raises new questions about how Kentucky can close the digital divide—and who should be held accountable when key players fall out.
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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