How a rural Kentucky farm got a broadband boost with Spectrum

Tucker Farms—which grows corn, wheat, and soybeans to sell commercially—is one of roughly 2,800 locations in the rural region of Warren County (KY) to receive a broadband upgrade from Charter Communications' Spectrum network. Spectrum launched its network in the area in 2022 as part of its $7 billion multi-year rural construction initiative to connect 1.7 million homes and businesses, for which it received $1.2 billion from the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. But prior to Spectrum coming in, "we really didn't have a lot of options," said Jennifer Tucker. "And if we did, it was very slow, and so since the speeds weren't there, we didn't really fool with it," she added. That made certain functions on the farm difficult. For example, without adequate broadband, Tucker Farms was unable to run a security system, or even access reliable cell service. The ability to connect to broadband through Spectrum has been a "huge advantage," according to Tucker, enabling her to accomplish tasks faster than before when she had to leave the farm site for stable connectivity, and finally making it possible to set up a security system.