To the editor,
Saturday, February 3, 2024 — The sale of Bardstown Connect is imminent. With bids submitted by Comcast, Duo Broadband, and Spectrum, we felt it necessary to bring to the fore several points as to why this sale should not occur.
I ask you to identify another provider that has worked diligently to provide Internet and cable television service to Bardstown and Nelson County residents over the past several years. Bardstown Connect has expanded its footprint dramatically over the past decade, serving areas where other providers do not. Even as the sale approaches, Bardstown Connect continues to expand its fiber optic footprint in the city and county.
A recent report by Grain Management, a private equity management group. (Hahn 2023) We conclude that local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have advantages over large conglomerate providers (such as AT&T, Comcast, and Spectrum).
Smaller ISPs like Bardstown Connect are more “agile,” able to work with residents to develop deployment plans and leverage connections with local regulators to speed deployment. Bardstown Connect actively engages local community input through our Cable TV Programming Committee. If Spectrum or Comcast were to successfully acquire Bardstown Connect, I highly doubt they would give much weight to community input.
Many residents of Bardstown and Nelson County will find their wallets hurt as a result of this sale. If you go online and take a quick look at what Comcast, Spectrum, and even Duo Broadband charge their subscribers, you’ll see that Bardstown Connect is cheaper in almost every category. As a result of this sale, nearly all Bardstown Connect subscribers will see a price increase.
Additionally, the city says the sale of Bardstown Connect is necessary to fund capital projects for the city’s other utilities. However, if the City Council had taken prudent steps and adjusted utility rates to properly fund capital improvements, the sale would not have been necessary. What will the city do next time it finds itself in a difficult financial situation? Will you sell other city-owned utilities such as garbage collection, water, and sewer?
Bardstown Connect is one of the few city-owned revenue-generating utilities. Will the City Council face the music and adjust utility rates to stabilize other public projects and fund future capital improvements?
We encourage you to contact your Mayor, City Council member, or City Hall to voice your concerns regarding the sale of Bardstown Connect. Perhaps ask how much your bill will go up as a result of the sale.
chandler young
Birdstown
References
Hahn, Ted. 2023. “Grain Management Investigation: His Local ISP Has Optical Fiber”
Deployment advantage over large carriers. ” Moderate.
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