May 6—Jonathan Chambers, a partner in Conexon LLC, the company that will bring broadband to 15,000 to 20,000 rural Daviess County homes and businesses by November 2023, told Daviess Fiscal Court on Thursday that the first homes should be hooked up by late fall.
Last month, Fiscal Court approved a $10 million contract with Conexon to run fiber to every area of the county, using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for the project.
In a 90-minute presentation, Chambers said the first customers will be on the fringes of the county where nothing is available now.
But within 18 months, every home and business that wants broadband will be able to have it, he said.
The basic tier of service will be $49.95 for 100 megabits.
That's followed by $79.95 for 1 gigabit and $88.95 for 2 gigabits.
Chambers said upload speeds are the same as downloads.
Judge-Executive Al Mattingly said, "We may see an economic boom in these areas with this service."
Commissioner Charlie Castlen said, "I'm as excited about this as I have been about anything."
Chambers said, on average, customers are split evenly between the three options.
Prices will not increase, he said.
If people get their homes and businesses hooked up while crews are in the neighborhood, Chambers said there is no charge for the connection.
But once crews leave the area, the connection charge will be $100.
The federal government offers a $30 per month subsidy for low-income families to connect, Chambers said.
Those with a household income of less than $55,000 a year would qualify, he said.
Chambers said between 30% and 50% of homes in an area generally sign up for the service within the first few months.
Conexon will use Kenergy poles where available and bury some fiber cable to reach other homes and businesses.
Chambers said Kenergy will own the system, and Conexon will lease the fiber cable.
Daviess County is the company's first customer in Kentucky.
But Chambers said he expects it to eventually install fiber cables in all of the Kenergy territory.
Kenergy says it serves more than 57,000 homes and businesses in Breckinridge, Caldwell, Crittenden, Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Union and Webster counties with more than 7,100 miles of power line.
Chambers said his company has connected 500,000 customers, and it ran 35,000 miles of cable last year.
Chambers was head of the Federal Communications Commission's office of strategic planning before going into the private sector.
He said Urban Cable Construction of Sturgis will be running the fiber cable throughout the county.