The ongoing dispute — which has left thousands of Kentuckians in limbo regarding their internet connections — is pitting the Kentucky Communications Network Authority, or KCNA, against Accelecom, also called Open Fiber Kentucky.
The question: Who is to blame for underutilization of the state-backed network?
KCNA is pointing the finger at Accelecom, arguing it's falling short on its task of selling the system to potential clients and growing network use.
The authority's executive director, Doug Hendrix, told lawmakers Wednesday it chose to cut ties with Accelecom out of concern for public investment in the system.
"The Kentucky Wired Network is taxpayer-owned. And it's our obligation to make sure that our contractors meet their obligations to us. And if we didn't, you would probably pull us to this table and ask me why we're not," he said in an interim committee meeting in Frankfort.
Accelecom CEO Brad Kilbey strongly denied the case laid out by KCNA, instead saying it's the state agency that has botched the KentuckyWired project and that his company has more than met the demands set out in the original deal.
"Over time, we've invested north of $125 million in private capital in Kentucky. We have been an excellent employer over that time. We have connected north of 200 customers across Kentucky. We provide essential telecommunication services to students... healthcare systems, universities, and government entities," he said.
With termination of the contract and a protracted legal battle underway, affected customers are being told to seek alternatives, though KCNA has said service has not been cut off.
The dispute is only the latest in a long string of complications for the Kentucky effort to expand Internet access across the state.