LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Hundreds of Parkway Place Apartments residents will receive free internet service through a partnership between Louisville Metro Housing Authority and Charter Communications.
The two groups announced Wednesday that Spectrum’s high-speed broadband internet will be installed in each apartment at no cost to the residents. Each unit will have speeds of 200 Mbps of in-home WiFi, and there will be no data caps or modem fees.
“The pandemic has really brought into sharp focus the digital divide,” said Dan Farrell, LMHA’s director of special programs. “I think our families in public housing should have the opportunity to have the same services as I have in my home.”
Spectrum, as part of Charter Communications, has already started the installation process at the public housing complex. Crews are currently working to wire all 635 apartments, and it is expected service will be activated this spring.
“This partnership helps close the digital divide by providing high-quality, high-speed broadband at a critical time for vulnerable families, who need reliable connectivity,” Adam Ray, executive vice president of Spectrum Community Solutions, said in a news release.
Farrell said as the Housing Authority brainstormed how to serve its residents in the pandemic, it was decided internet access was a big need.
“We thought of Parkway Place, because it’s our last remaining large family development," he said. "There are over 450 school-age children, 550 working-age adults and nearly 100 seniors there. And we thought that would be a great place to bring broadband internet."
If a family living at Parkway Place is already paying for an internet service, Spectrum will still wire the unit for the free broadband.
“And for those families, they’ll be able to have better internet and cut their monthly expenses," Farrell said. "And that’s important too, because I think it’s going to take all of us — especially our residents — time to recover after the pandemic is over,”."
While the service will be free for residents, the city is footing the bill. Metro Housing followed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development procedures with this project. After putting out a request for proposal, Spectrum Community Solutions came back with the lowest bid.
The two-year deal with Spectrum will cost $500,000. The first year will be covered by operating funds, which have been freed up because of CARES Act funds LMHA received. It is still unclear where the second year’s funding will come from.
After the two-year contract is up with the city, residents will have the option of paying to continue the service.
“At this point, we’re looking at it as a stop gap to get people through and past the pandemic,” Farrell said. “And then when this is over with, they can continue to have service with Spectrum. There could be some other low-cost providers at that time, too.”
Currently, there are no plans to expand the free internet program to other public housing complexes, partly because of the design. Farrell said a concentrated area of apartments is needed to “get a low enough price to make this feasible.”
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