APRIL 13, 2023
A community-based internet service provider located in LaRue County has announced plans to expand their fiber-fast wireless network to the New Hope area as part of their 2023 expansion plans.
Telecast Communications, LLC serves around 430 homes and businesses across the LaRue, Hardin, and Hart County regions via fixed-wireless technology where other broadband services are not available. Some of their notable coverage areas include Hodgenville, Howardstown, Roanoke, and Sonora. They currently offer speeds up to 100Mbps download and 30Mbps upload in LaRue County, and have offered up to 100Mbps symmetrical speeds in their Howardstown deployment which was completed in 2021.
The photo above shows their Sonora site, located at Back Forty Farms on Horseshoe Bend Road. This tower provides service to approximately 40 homes in the central Sonora region and is capable of delivering 100Mbps x 30Mbps speeds to customers who are line of sight to the grain elevator.
Telecast provides service to homes and businesses using fixed-wireless technology, a method that is not commonly known by many, compared to methods such as fiber, coax, and DSL that we all know. In short, fiber-optic internet connectivity feeds a tower or tall structure (such as grain elevators, silos, and communications towers), and using wireless technology, is able to broadcast that signal over long distances between other towers and structures, similar to cellular companies. Wireless access points are then mounted to those structures, and any home or business within line-of-sight of the structure is able to utilize the service. A small, directional antenna is installed outside of the home or business that connects to the access points, providing the location with reliable, high-speed connectivity.
Telecast Communications was founded in 2020 by Cameron and Laura Lasley of LaRue County with the purpose of bringing broadband access to areas of LaRue County that had little or no high-speed connectivity options. Through partnerships with the county, Telecast began to quickly grow and expand to areas that were burdened by slow, unreliable DSL or satellite connectivity. Many customers went from only having 3-5Mbps download speeds to 100+ with Telecast.
The expansion into New Hope is being fueled by a local business (who shall stay anonymous) who was refused service by Spectrum and AT&T due to current lack of availability in the New Hope area. Both companies told the business that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to bring it down the road to their facility. For a fraction of what they were quoted to get service, Telecast was able to purchase equipment to build out to three different locations to provide service for Phase 1 of the New Hope expansion. At this time, we are not disclosing the three sites of serviceability until contractual agreements have been signed, but below is the proposed coverage for Phase 1 of the New Hope expansion project.
Residents and businesses in the New Hope and New Haven area that would like to request service can do so by visiting www.newhope.tckywisp.com and submitting a service request. The estimated timeline for the start of this project is currently May 15, 2023 and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2023. Once construction is complete, residents in the covered areas will be eligible for service.
Speeds and pricing will be announced at a later time once construction is complete, but Lasley indicates that pricing will be extremely competitive with other options in the area and will be much more affordable and reliable. Individuals who quality for EBB and ACP will also be eligible for discounted service. Telecast offers an unlimited service with no data caps or throttling, so you'll never have to worry about using too much data.
For questions, comments, or other inquiries, Telecast Communications, LLC can be contacted via phone at (270) 681-2230 or via email at cam@tckywisp.com.