During his Monday afternoon visit to Hopkins and McCracken counties, Governor Andy Beshear brought with him a bevy of other news nuggets — regarding a large federal grant for high-speed internet, the state’s plans for Microvast in Christian County, and his thoughts about possibly attending Graves County’s highly-anticipated Fancy Farm Picnic and political extravaganza.
Beshear, along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, announced that Kentucky has secured a $1.1 billion federal grant for fiber across the Commonwealth. To date, it’s the largest public investment for the information highway in the state’s history, and signifies a landmark commitment to bring reliable, non-competitive and non-partisan service to every Kentuckian.
The funding comes from the Broadband Equity, Access and Development program (BEAD), and is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law drafted and passed in 2021. The total federal allocation cost is $42.45 billion, and comes with it the promise of assisting the underserved.
According to the most recent data released last month by the Federal Communications Commission, Kentucky has more than 258,000 unserved locations — many of which were greatly exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As far as Microvast is concerned, Beshear said the plans for the electric-vehicle related company set for construction in Commerce Park II remain on hold — following the federal government’s recent declining of a Department of Energy development grant after some politically posited there was Chinese influence.
And though Fancy Farm officials haven’t confirmed his time at the podium, Beshear all but affirmed he will be in Graves County during the first weekend in August — and that he looks forward to opining on the region’s rebounding after the December 2021 tornadoes.
Should Beshear hold to this, it will be his first time in the bully pulpit since being elected governor. In 2020, it was canceled. In 2021, all Democrats rallied elsewhere with COVID-19 still in its height. In 2022, Beshear had a planned trip to Israel with other national leaders before all schedules changed following the torrential flooding of eastern Kentucky.
Republican Governor nominee and current state’s Attorney General Daniel Cameron has yet to officially confirm his appearance, as well, but almost certainly will be on the podium after delivering a fiery speech in 2022.
