LTC Connect has been recently named a Smart Rural CommunitySM (SRC) provider by NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. SRC is a national network of communities powered by innovative rural broadband providers that are building a brighter future for small-town America.
The program promotes rural broadband and its role in supporting innovative economic development, effective education, efficient energy distribution and use, state-of-the-art health care, and other important issues for rural America.
In order to receive recognition as a SRC provider, LTC Connect was required to affirm that it offers 25/3 Mbps broadband to at least 50 percent of its service area; that it has broadband subscription rates of at least 50 percent; and that it is committed to program principles of collaboration and innovation.
As a result of LTC Connect’s national recognition, areas like Auburn, Adairville, and Lewisburg will now be celebrated as Smart Rural Communities in program materials and online at www.smartruralcommunity.com, joining a national network of similarly innovative communities.
“The community/town of Auburn salutes LTC Connect for its hard work to meet these standards, which enable our residents to fully participate in today’s connected society,” said Auburn Mayor Mike Hughes. “Because of access to high-speed Internet, Auburn provides its residents with educational and economic opportunities on par with those in the most connected regions of America.”
NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield also recognized LTC Connect for this achievement, noting, “We are so excited to welcome another Smart Rural Community provider into this growing network of innovative broadband providers delivering the Internet’s fastest speeds in some of the most remote and rural communities of our country. I applaud LTC Connect for their commitment to enabling cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and promote economic development in their region and nationwide.”
Incorporated in 1954, LTC Connect is a cooperative owned by its members and provides broadband Internet service as well as local and long distance telephone service to six exchange areas in South Central Kentucky. LTC Connect is also a Bluegrass Cellular Authorized Retailer. With headquarters in Auburn, Kentucky, LTC Connect has built fiber-to-the-premise services to more than 3,000 subscribers across its service area. LTC Connect has also invested a great deal back into its communities with local sponsorships and community support.
NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business.