All 207,000 consumer and business addresses in the Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties will receive an expanded fiber optic network from Cincinnati Bell through a $ 181 million investment by the company.
The effort is part of the company’s goal to improve digital equity in Northern Kentucky.
The process of expanding the fiber optic gigabit Internet is expected to take place over the next 24 to 36 months.
Once the fiberglass build is complete, 95,000 new addresses in Campbell County, Kenton County and Boone County will have gigabit Internet access from Cincinnati Bell to the site. Cincinnati Bell currently offers fiber optic gigabit Internet to 112,000 addresses in these counties.
Under the agreement with Campbell County, approved on July 21, Cincinnati Bell will expand its fiber optic network and offer fiber optic gigabit Internet to 17,600 addresses that are currently underserved or underserved. Campbell County is providing up to $ 4.5 million for the project.
Under the agreement with Kenton County, approved on July 27, Cincinnati Bell will expand its fiber optic network and offer fiber optic gigabit Internet to 37,000 addresses that are currently underserved or underserved. Kenton County is providing up to $ 10.8 million for the project.
According to the agreement with Boone County announced in March, Cincinnati Bell will expand its fiber optic network and offer fiber optic gigabit Internet for 40,000 addresses that are currently underserved or underserved. The Boone County Fiscal Court is allocating up to $ 13.6 million for the project.
In addition to expanding its fiber optic network, Cincinnati Bell also announced that its UniCity organization will be investing a total of $ 1.1 million to support smart city initiatives in each county to improve the quality of life in homes and businesses to enable local governments to provide more value-added services to voters.
“Expanding broadband Internet through the use of fiber to the premises is a goal that the County Commissioners and I have pursued for several years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded the need for this project,” Campbell said County Judge / Executive Steve Pendery. “We are proud to partner with Cincinnati Bell on this transformative initiative that will improve the daily lives of our residents and businesses for years to come.”
“One of Kenton County’s top priorities is providing all of our families with access to high-speed broadband Internet. That goal is now becoming a reality with the approval of our contract with Cincinnati Bell to provide all residents with fiber-to-home connections and gigabit Internet for more than 37,000 addresses within the next 24 to 36 months, “said Judge / said managing director Kris Knochelmann. “It’s an exciting development for Kenton County and as historic as any initiative here in our community. Most importantly, I believe in the potential of our employees and I know that having fiber-based broadband in their homes will enable them to make their dreams come true. “
“I’m thrilled that our three northern Kentucky counties, in partnership with Cincinnati Bell, will adopt a unified regional approach to broadband fiber that will improve connectivity through the deployment of high-speed fiber to the site,” said Boone County Judge / General Manager Gary Moore. “This project will transform Boone County and the region and improve the quality of life for our citizens.”
Cincinnati Bell has so far invested more than $ 1 billion in its fiber optic network, which currently reaches around 500,000 addresses in the greater Cincinnati area, according to a press release.
The company became the first Internet Service Provider in the greater Cincinnati area to offer 1 Gigabit Internet in 2014, and earlier this year it was the first Internet Service Provider to introduce 2 Gigabit speeds in the market.
“Access to education, health care and job opportunities is the great balance of our society, and high-speed Internet is absolutely essential to level the playing field in Northern Kentucky,” said Tom Simpson, chief operating officer of Cincinnati Bell. “We envision the possibilities of fiber and we look forward to partnerships like this one that will help bring this reality to life for their communities.”
-Employee report
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