Spectrum, Metro Council expands high speed internet access in Louisville. Here's where.

More than 1,800 homes and small businesses in Jefferson County are slated to have access to high-speed internet within the next year, as part of an effort to expand broadband service to rural, underserved areas.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and several Louisville Metro Council members appeared at the Gheens Foundation Lodge alongside representatives from internet provider Spectrum to unveil progress on their collaboration to expand broadband access.

"Everyone in our city should have access to broadband service. (It's) no different than water or electricity," Greenberg said at the news conference. "Reliable high-speed internet access is essential for every Louisville family."

The project cost more than $7.5 million and was funded by Charter Communications, parent company of Spectrum, Louisville's city government, and a grant from the state's “Better Internet Program." The statewide program helps private companies and governmental agencies with the cost of constructing high-speed internet access to unserved or underserved households and businesses.

Here's where broadband access will be installed, how much it is slated to cost, and how long it'll take before households and businesses can use it.

Where in Louisville will have expanded broadband access?

Much of the more than 27-mile network falls within Louisville Metro's District 20, in the southeast part of Jefferson County, represented by Councilman Stuart Benson.

"I believe when people get involved, we can make a difference," said Benson, who has been a longtime advocate for wider broadband access. "And I love when people tell me what's wrong with the area and we have a chance to solve it."

Residents and business owners can visit spectrumruralexpansion.com to check whether their property is slated to be eligible for the expanded broadband service.

How much does it cost?

Once construction is completed, a household or business owner can contact Spectrum to activate service via phone or online.

Residents will receive promotional offers in the mail and instructions for activation, with Spectrum representatives advertising rates starting at $50 a month at the news conference. Prices are set by how fast a resident prefers their network or internet connection to be, with plans advertised between $50 to $80 each month.

When will my home have high speed internet in Louisville?

The current phase of the project is in the hands of LG&E, who are dispatching crews to provide space on the area's utility poles for broadband cable installation.

"Pole permitting is a crucial part of this. Bottom line is we can't do any work until we have access to those poles," said Benjamin U'Sellis, director of government affairs for Charter Communications.

U'Sellis said LG&E has been a vital partner in this work and is actively operating in the area now. Once pole permitting is finished, Spectrum will begin the infrastructure work of installing fiber to the homes and buildings in the designated areas, which are split into about a dozen zones.

These areas will see fiber installation and active service on a rolling basis, with total completion of the project slated to be nine months once construction is started.

"We're gonna do everything in our power to get this done as quickly as possible," U'Sellis said.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg, Spectrum talk broadband expansion