Beshear took the red ink to House Bill 314, which would oust the board and executive director of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority, the group that oversees the state's fiber optic cable network known as KentuckyWired.
The governor is calling the move "an unconstitutional partisan power grab" seeking to strip his office of appointment authority and hand it to other statewide offices currently occupied by Republicans.
KentuckyWired has been at odds with former partner Accelecom, with both sides arguing the other is responsible for underutilization of the network.
In a 2025 hearing, GOP Sen. Gex Williams called the KentuckyWired Project a "big loss for the state."
"We get in trouble when the state tries to actually operate these contracts, telling a contractor you can or can't do this," he said.
In his veto message, Beshear suggested that lawmakers were following the lead of lobbyists for the company, and creating a new board that would benefit Accelecom.
But Beshear's vetoes are typically short-lived, with Republican supermajorities in the General Assembly reliably voting to overturn them.