Building the Broadband Economy

In eastern Kentucky, the collapse of the coal industry, long a major employer, created severe economic hardship. Though a successor to coal hasn’t yet emerged, government agencies and economic development organizations at all levels are aware that the region needs to participate more fully in the digital economy. Efforts are underway to retrain miners and other displaced workers as computer programmers and homebased call center agents.

In addition to jump-starting new industries, local leaders aim to grow the region’s existing businesses by helping them leverage the internet. The Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), which serves 23 Appalachian counties with training, employment and workforce development programs, has pursued this strategy since receiving a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) in 2015.