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Harlan County signed an agreement with Thacker Grigsby Communications on Wednesday, Jan. 29, designed to bring high speed internet service to more underserved areas of Harlan County including Bledsoe, Big Laurel, Straight Creek, and Pine Mountain.

Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley welcomed representatives from Thacker Grigsby Communications along with representatives from the Center for Rural Development and other interested parties to the contract signing which took place at the Harlan County Courthouse.

“(Harlan County District 1 Magistrate) Paul Caldwell and I have talked for years about how poor the internet service has been in Bledsoe and Big Laurel,” Mosley said.

Mosley mentioned that Thacker Grisby Communications already serves several southeast Kentucky counties and is well versed in serving remote areas.

“This area has been an internet desert,” Mosley said. “We’re excited about what Thacker Grigsby are doing, they are an eastern Kentucky based company that has met a lot of digital service needs throughout a variety of areas.”

Bill Grigsby of Thacker Grigsby Communications talked about his company’s background.

“Thacker Grigsby is a family-owned company,” Grigsby said. “We were in the telephone business up until the 1990s when the internet became the thing.”

Grigsby said the company has operations in Knott County, Floyd County, Perry County, and Breathitt County.

According to a press release, the project is the second such project Harlan County has undergone and is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Broadband as a Service (BaaS) initiative. The Center for Rural Development provided consultation and technical support throughout the project.

The project was made possible via a $1.9 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission combined with local and state funds. The Center for Rural Development’s Speed Test initiative was used in identifying specific areas with the most need of improved service, states the release.

“This project is the next step in our efforts to make high speed internet available to all of Harlan County. This particular area has been an internet desert, but once completed, the 307 residences, 92 businesses, and three community anchor institutions of the Big Laurel, Bledsoe, Pine Mountain, and Straight Creek communities will have access to great internet. It will be the difference between daylight and dark in terms of connectivity for them,” Mosley said. “This region of Harlan County has been a top priority in terms of broadband, and we’re excited to see this project get started. The opportunities it opens up for folks such as our students, businesses, and those working from home cannot be overlooked.”

Caldwell noted the internet service will be good for the community.

“I think it will be great for the people of Bledsoe, Big Laurel and the north side of Pine Mountain,” Caldwell said. “It’s been a long time coming. We really need it there. We really appreciate them moving forward with the project.”

President and CEO of The Center for Rural Development Lonnie Lawson expressed his appreciation for the project.

“We are so appreciative of all the work Judge Mosley and fiscal court are doing for the improvement of internet connectivity in Harlan County,” said Lawson. “While The Center has the technical expertise to assist with projects like this, it takes leadership and cooperation from local community leaders to see these projects become reality.

“We are here to work with all 45 of our counties to see more success stories like this one,” Lawson said. “Our focus is to see that quality, affordable broadband is made available to all the residents throughout our entire service territory.”

Mosley voiced his appreciation for the assistance of Congressman Hal Rogers, Lawson, The Department for Local Government, and Thacker Grigsby Communications for their work on the project.

“The Center’s assistance has been invaluable throughout this process,” said Mosley. “The whole concept of Broadband as a Service was very new when we started this effort. Their expertise and support have helped make these projects possible. And we are all aware of the tireless effort from Congressman Rogers to see quality internet made available throughout this entire region.”