With more than $12 million remaining on the tab for a $20 million fiber optic internet buildout, officials with Pennyrile Rural Electric and Hopkinsville Electric Systems | energynet continue to effectively plug away at life-altering infrastructure for Trigg County and its 14,000-plus residents.
Already, $8 million in ARPA, Kentucky Infrastructure Authority and matching municipality funds exist in the project — allowing for many to have high-speed internet access for the first time.
During Tuesday’s Cadiz Rotary Club meeting, HES/energynet Telecommunications Services Leader Timothy Griffey provided considerable insight on the inner workings of the project.
Griffey said fiber is expected to be made available for south Trigg County residents by the end of February and early March, though he said demand is “so high,” customers should remain patient as service is connected from the network to the home.
He noted he feels “reasonably confident” that PRECC/HES customers will take some form of the service, despite the fact the area remains the most rural, off-the-grid portion of the county. According to him, roughly 20% of current customers have taken on new fiber options once made available, and he referenced a recent boom in Todd County customers as evidence.
Griffey did note the regional buildout spanning Trigg, Christian, Todd, Caldwell and Lyon counties has come with a number of challenges, including the fact that:
— Current provider speeds, such as AT&T, Spectrum and Mediacom, create intensive demand for better offers.
— The pandemic naturally illuminated an even greater need for improved services, as families worked and learned from home.
— Not many internet service providers, including PRECC and HES | energynet, had a massive network in place for land-based infrastructure.
— And entertainment options, specifically high-definition and 4K streaming, require vast amounts of data being levied to and from the home.
In a recent update to the Trigg County Fiscal Court, PRECC President & CEO Alan Gates issued that Trigg County’s build had proven to be a bit more difficult than other counties — and not because of cost.
Tuesday, Griffey theorized Trigg’s topography and lakes area as reasons why cabling might be more challenging.
However, once completed, Griffey did state that fiber optics should remain the top choice for internet service provisions because of its strength and efficacy.
It’s the kind of technology that doesn’t get replaced next month, and could remain the staple for service over the next two-plus decades, and Griffey added that it’s modems and routers that will likely change more frequently.
While a flush of federal, state and local funds have expedited this project, Griffey said both PRECC and HES likely would’ve pursued this project and sprawling effort in its own timeline — however at a much more paced, patient effort.
But even on his drive over to Cadiz Tuesday, Griffey said it was “thrilling” to see fiber strands in remote parts of Christian and Trigg counties.
For more information on fiber options in the Pennyrile, visit hop-electric.com.
