KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Around 50,000 homes and businesses can now access fast, gigabit internet speeds for around $65 per month through the Knoxville Utilities Board.
KUB started installing its new fiber system after Knoxville City Council gave final approval for the project in June 2021. The municipal broadband system was built to ensure the Knoxville area had access to fast and reliable internet, as well as phone services and television services. The first phase of the rollout has ended, and KUB said Monday it laid more than 1,100 miles of fiber infrastructure.
The infrastructure stretches from West Knoxville to Union County and Grainger County. Areas of Fountain City can access the internet service, as well as parts of South Knoxville, West Knoxville, Luttress, Washburn and some parts of East Knoxville.
By the end of the project, all existing KUB customers should have the choice to sign up for cheaper fiber internet. It said crews are installing fiber-optic cables wherever electric wires are installed. According to KUB's website, the third phase of the project is expected to end in 2028. Parts of West Knoxville and Powell are included in it.
"This means that, in most cases, when the electric lines are underground, the fiber will be underground, and where the lines are overhead, the fiber will be overhead, as well," KUB said online.
KUB said in a post on social media that it was moving on to the next phase of the project. Information about which areas were included in the second phase of installation was not immediately available.
Anyone interested in signing up for KUB Fiber can check whether it's available in their area online. If it is, they can request to switch to it by contacting KUB.