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Harlan County recently entered into a contract with Harlan Community Television for broadband service to be extended to the Cloverfork area of Harlan County.
Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley welcomed representatives from Harlan Community Television, the Center for Rural Development, and the Harlan County Fiscal Court to the Harlan County Fiscal Courtroom recently to witness the contract signing.
“Thank you all for being here,” Mosley told the crowd. “This is another exciting day for Harlan County, and specifically the people on Cloverfork…we’re going to sign the contract here for the expansion of broadband into this area thanks to a partnership with Harlan Community Television.”
Mosley explained the contract is the result of a project funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
“Just a few months ago, we were in this very room celebrating some other broadband funding related to a project on Clover Lick that was funded by our friends at the Appalachian Regional Commission and administered by the Center for Rural Development called the Move the Needle Program,” Mosley said. “That project is under construction now and almost ready to wrap up.”
A press release explains the project is part of the ARC Broadband as a Service (BaaS) initiative. This initiative aids Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in overcoming challenges typically found in infrastructure deployment.
“The Center for Rural Development provided technical support and consultation throughout the project, helping local governments like Harlan County access the necessary resources to expand broadband access,” states the release.
According to Mosley, the project focuses on the Cloverfork area near Evarts.
“Broadband is as important as water and sewer in today’s world,” Mosley said. “We have to have broadband for our kids to be able to learn and do their work from home,” Mosley said. “In the world we live in, it’s as essential for economic development as anything. There are 23 million people in this country working from home remotely…for people to work from home, they have to have adequate internet speeds. This investment by the Appalachian Regional Commission will make that a reality for people on Cloverfork.”
According to a press release, the expansion was accomplished via a $1.9 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission in addition to local and state funds aimed at improving connectivity for underserved and unserved residents. The Center for Rural Development’s Speed Test initiative was instrumental in identifying the areas with the most need of improved service.
Mark Lawrence, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Harlan Community Television, talked about the impact of the Cloverfork project.
Lawrence said the project will connect approximately 500 residents and businesses to improved internet service.
“Timeline-wise, we’re probably looking at the next year to get this project done,” Lawrence said. “In this particular area, we won’t be doing television services, we’ll just be doing internet because that’s the focus of the grant.”
One Harlan County Executive Directory Cole Raines was instrumental in seeing the project going.
“We acted as a technical assistance provider on this, assisting the county with this grant,” Raines said.
Raines mentioned there are more broadband projects in the works for Harlan County.
“This has been an ongoing process,” Raines said. “The Harlan County Fiscal Court was awarded money by the ARC in 2021, it’s been about three years. We’ve had some roadblocks along the way…we’ve got 2 zones that have been awarded as a part of this. Today is the contract signing for zone 2…Zone 1 is a larger zone geographically. That has been awarded and we’re currently in contract negotiations for that.”
Raines added Zone 1 is in the Pine Mountain/Bledsoe area of Harlan County.
“I really appreciate Harlan Community Television’s private investment as a part of this project,” Raines said. “They’ve been great community partners.”
Lonnie Lawson, President and CEO of The Center for Rural Development, attended the contract signing.
“The perception has been for years that the only thing you needed high speed internet for is for watching Netflix and to get on Facebook,” Lawson said. “It is so much more than that. Every aspect of our life now is touched by the internet, and it’s become another utility just like electricity. You can’t go through life without it, whether it’s your banking, your job, or your education, all aspects are touched by the internet. What we’re trying to do is give people the access that they need.”