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Could Lexington Become A "Gigabit City"?

Josh James
/
WUKY

According to internet metrics company Ookla, Lexington lags behind 37 other cities and towns in Kentucky when it comes to internet speed, but Mayor Jim Gray and other city officials are investigating ways to get the data flowing faster.

Gray wants Lexington to become what’s called a “Gigabit City.”

Currently, the average internet speed hovers around 16.2 megabits per second - while gigabits refer to speeds of up to a thousand times as fast.

"There has been very little investment from our incumbents... we have always relied on the ability to do cable, etc. and in many cases, that was probably ok many years ago," says Lexington Chief Information Officer Aldona Valincenti.

But now, with manufacturing and other industries demanding higher and higher speeds, she says Lexington needs to get in the game. Friday Gray announced the city has issued a Request for Information, seeking companies interested in creating a public-private partnership to bring high-speed fiber-optic connectivity to Lexington.

And just how much faster are we talking…

"Sometimes it takes 30 minutes to download a movie. Well maybe you'll be able to do it in less than 20 seconds," Valicenti says.

Gray has said the improvement would help keep Lexington’s “health, education, manufacturing, technology, and research sectors at the forefront.”

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.