KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Viewers reached out to WBIR asking if President Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure bill would impact the Knoxville Utilities Board's plans to develop a municipal broadband system that would give the community an affordable internet access option.
President Biden previously said that he hoped the bill would provide high-speed internet and other kinds of infrastructure improvements to Americans across the country. The bill was signed into law Monday.
Officials with KUB said they are keeping a close eye on the legislation to see if it impacts their plans to roll out fiber internet in Knoxville.
"There's still a lot we don't know, so it's really hard for us to impact our financial plan and our rollout, but we're monitoring it very closely," said Jay Miller, KUB's Marketing Manager. "But regardless of the outcome, our fiber deployment project is on track and will continue as planned."
KUB plans to increase its electricity rates by 3% for all customers, each year for over three years, starting in 2022. However, electricity and internet services will be billed separately.
They plan to provide gigabit internet services for $65 per month for any interested customers, according to previous statements from KUB.
The Knoxville City Council voted 8-0 in favor of KUB's plan, and more than 90% of people said they encouraged KUB to pursue the plan, and many were from rural areas, according to officials.
KUB said they hope to sign the first people up for municipal internet in 2022.