Using a public-private partnership, about 3,400 homes in rural Walker County will be equipped for high-speed internet in the next two years.
Walker County elected leaders and officials with Kinetic by Windstream answered questions about the nearly $11.3 million project last week at the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library. Many of the approximately 50 residents present had slow internet and were hoping for a solution.
The project will reach 83% of the unserved or underserved residents of Walker County, said Shannon Whitfield, chairman of the Walker County Board of Commissioners, at the meeting.
“That’s what our state is trying to solve with this partnership with companies like Windstream, is to solve that digital divide,” Whitfield said at the meeting.
More education for school-aged children is being done on the internet, he said, making it an even more important resource for Walker County households.