Emergency communications in Rowan County and eastern Kentucky in general are better than they were more than two years ago when a powerful tornado swept through the region. However, retiring Rowan Judge Executive Jim Nickell says there’s room for a lot of improvement.
Nickell wrote to the Federal Communications Commission expressing concerns about the situation shortly after the March, 2012 twister that caused massive destruction in Morgan and Menifee Counties. He says Rowan County was able to secure some grants for new technology to upgrade its systems.
Nickell says the communications infrastructure in the region is better now because new technology has been secured for emergency responders. However, the area still needs additional cell phone towers and better broadband service.
Nickell says parts of the region still lack adequate cell phone and broadband service. He thinks that’ll be a focus of SOAR in the years ahead. The “Shaping Our Appalachian Region” initiative spearheaded by Congressman Hal Rogers and Governor Beshear is working on plans to improve the economy of eastern Kentucky.