Monday October 20, 2025
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NextCenturyCitiesNext Century Cities today announced that Louisville is among three cities given an award recognizing projects that harness high-speed internet to enhance civic engagement and democratic participation.

Louisville was given the inaugural Charles Benton Next Generation Engagement Award for its plan to develop a Gigabit Experience Center.

Joining Austin, Texas, and Raleigh, N.C., Louisville will receive $30,000 and hands-on technical assistance to help drive the Gigabit Experience Center forward in the next year.

Louisville Metro Government plans use the award to identify and wire an existing community center in west Louisville with gigabit connectivity, providing access to digital training, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement opportunities.

“Gigabit connectivity is a key to creating socio-economic opportunity and equity in a global economy — driving innovation, expanding our economy and providing residents with new opportunities,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “The Gigabit Experience Center will allow us to help our citizens see the enormous potential this technology has for reshaping our city.”

Deb Socia, Executive Director of Next Century Cities, said: “We know that broadband connectivity can bring economic and educational development to a region, but next-generation broadband is also a valuable tool for empowering citizens to be actively engaged in their communities.

“The new Gigabit Experience Center in Louisville and the other two winners of the Benton Awards show a range of exciting approaches, and all three cities share a strong commitment to better engaging their citizens using high-speed broadband connectivity.”

Through the Gigabit Experience Center, city leaders are seeking to increase awareness about the importance of high-speed internet access and to provide an opportunity for residents to build their digital skills.

At the center, citizens will be able to experience virtual reality and take classes on innovation. The center will also include connectivity stations for residents, artists and musicians co-creating engaging technology exhibitions, and more.

The Benton Award was given by Next Century Cities, a nonprofit membership organization of over 145 mayors and city leaders nationwide committed to ensuring access to fast, affordable and reliable internet access for their citizens. As a founding member, Louisville has been a member of Next Century Cities since its inception in 2014.

In addition to providing expert technical assistance as the program gets underway, Next Century Cities will also elevate Louisville’s creative use of next-generation broadband to bolster civic engagement and will promote replication of the Gigabit Experience Center project nationwide.

More information about both the winning projects and the award program can be found here.

After a study completed by the Office of Planning and Design Services, a draft of regulations regarding methane plants within the county has been given the Louisville Metro Council.

The methane plants are bio-digester. A bio-digester is defined as a renewable energy system that uses controlled decomposition of biodegradable materials (e.g. outdated food from local groceries and yard waste) in oxygen-deprived environments using naturally occurring bacteria to convert the biodegradable materials into methane-rich biogas and a waste product, which is used as a fertilizer.

According to the proposed regulations, any plant will need to be a minimum of 1,320 feet away from a residential property, school, religious building, park, community center, hospital, nursing home, or assisted living facility and at least 50 feet from a public right-of-way. Vehicles delivering feedstock, the biodegradable materials, shall not unload their cargo until they are fully enclosed in the receiving building and feedstock can only be stored in a fully enclosed building. All bio-digesters must also comply with noise ordinances, all local, state and federal laws regarding utility substations, safety, maintenance, health, and so on. Plants must also submit an emergency response plan and strategies for limiting odor that is generated from the decomposition. Natural methane is an odorless gas and it is produced in a variety of places throughout the world, including swamps and marsh lands.

There are currently three bio-digesters in the county: two of which are operated about Metropolitan Sewer District and the third is a private company. Any new proposed plants would need to seek a conditional use permit in industrial zones and the permit grants the applicant the ability to hold a public hearing. Conditional use permit holders must meet all requirements set forth in the regulations, and the Board of Zoning Adjustment must determine that there will be no adverse effects to neighboring properties before the permit is issued. However, plants that are strictly for agricultural use are exempt from  zoning requirements, noise ordinances, odor mitigation, and emergency response plans per state law. A map of lands that are eligible for use is available on the City’s website.

The regulations are open for public comment, and if you missed one of the six meetings already, the final four meetings are coming up quick:

  • July 27th, 6 – 8 PM – Newburg Library: 4800 Exeter Ave,
  • July 27th, 6 – 8 PM- Central Government Center: 7201 Outer Loop
  • July 28, 9 AM- Old Jail Auditorium: 514 W. Liberty St
  • August 1, 6 PM – Old Jail Auditorium: 514 W Liberty St

Written comments can be submitted to Brian Mabry via Brian.Mabry@louisvilleky.gov. All comments must be received by 12 PM on August 1st to considered during the evening public hearing.

Greater Louisville HamfestHave you ever driven by a house and wondered what all of those large antennas on the roof are?  Have you seen a vehicle with antennas of various sizes sprouting from it like a big, steel porcupine?  Have you attended a large event like a marathon or the Derby Breakfast and seen event coordinators communicating with each other using handheld radios?  If so, then chances are that you have seen some licensed radio amateurs – also known as “hams.”

The Louisville area is home to many active ham radio enthusiasts who use the technology for everything from emergency communications to simply chatting with friends or seeing what kind of homebrew transmitting or receiving equipment they can create.

Each year, area hams get together for an event known as a hamfest.  The 2015 Greater Louisville Hamfest will be held September 12 at Paroquet Springs Conference Center in Shepherdsville.  During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to connect face-to-face with other hams they have met on the air; buy, sell, and trade equipment at the flea market; learn about various topics during the forums and presentations; watch demonstrations; and earn or upgrade their operating license during the on-site testing opportunities.  According to Amateur Radio Kentuckiana, getting licensed to operate on amateur radio frequencies is often much easier than people think it is.

To learn more about the upcoming Greater Louisville Hamfest, visit their website at louisvillehamfest.com.

Authority to oversee P3 master agreement with contractor to build infrastructure project

Governor Steve Beshear has signed an executive order creating the Kentucky Communications Network Authority (KCNA) and its governing board to manage the KentuckyWired open-access broadband network.

The project will create high-speed Internet connectivity to every corner of the Commonwealth to enhance economic development and workforce and educational opportunities while sustaining Kentucky’s economy for generations to come.

“Broadband, like electricity, water and sewer, is now an essential service but has been too expensive for private carriers to build out a high-speed, high-capacity network across the entire state,” Gov. Beshear said. “With KentuckyWired, or the I-Way, an open-access network, the state will be responsible for building out the middle portion of a fiber network, similar to our interstate system of roads.”

Over the next two to three years, more than 3,000 miles of fiber infrastructure, often referred to as the “middle mile,” will be built.

The members of the Authority will manage the Next Generation Kentucky Information Highway line-item capital project and the Next Generation Kentucky Information Highway Fund, both authorized by House Bill 235 in the 2014 General Assembly. The total project is projected to cost approximately $324 million. The project consists of $30 million in state bond funds and $23.5 million in Federal Funds. The remainder of the project, $270.9 million, will be funded with private investment.    Continue reading

Greater Louisville HamfestImagine being able to talk to someone across town or on the other side of the planet – without cell phones, internet or any other infrastructure.  That is the power of amateur radio and it is a hobby that is going strong in the Kentuckiana area.

Once a year, in September, amateur radio – also called ham radio – enthusiasts from around the region converge on Shepherdsville for the Greater Louisville Hamfest.  The annual one-day gathering features radio demonstrations, lectures, license testing, a swap meet and more.

Often seen as “old fashioned,” ham radio is anything but.  While the basic science behind radio operation has not changed, technological advances have ensured that amateur radio stays in the modern age with computer-controlled radios, digital modes to transmit data, slow-scan television, and GPS location tracking.  Radio amateurs even have the ability to communicate with the ultra-high tech International Space Station (ISS).  While most of these things can be accomplished without relying on any infrastructure, some of the newest advances allow radio transmissions to be routed through the internet, letting licensed operators converse with others around the world using only a small hand-held radio communicating with a local internet-connected base station.

AmateurRadio-2So, why do people bother with amateur radio in the age of cell phones, instant messaging and email or when unlicensed CB radios or off-the-shelf two-way radios are available?  Radio amateurs often cite many reasons, including more flexibility and options for equipment, far greater power (1500 watts versus the 1 or 4 watt limits on FRS and CB radios), and better regulation that greatly cuts down on rude or profane behavior on the air.

Amateur radio is just a hobby for many, serving as an outlet for them to socialize on the airwaves, hone their technical expertise or participate in contests to see how many others they can contact and from how far (a practice called DX-ing).  For others, the amateur radio service serves a more practical purpose such as simply navigating around traffic jams.  Radio amateurs are often called upon to help coordinate large events such as outdoor races or parking at events like Kentucky Derby festivities.

Sometimes, amateur radio plays an even more important role, providing a lifeline for outdoor enthusiasts who roam far from the nearest cell tower, allowing trained weather spotters to inform the National Weather Service of severe weather through programs like SKYWARN, and to help in emergency situations through outfits like Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES).  The Military Auxiliary Radio System, or MARS, is a Department of Defense sponsored civilian auxiliary consisting primarily of licensed amateur radio operators who are assist the military with communications on a local, national, and international basis.2010MarsLogo

Although amateur radio allows licensed operators to connect with others around the world, there is a largely local aspect to it.  Local clubs like the Amateur Radio Transmitting Society (ARTS) of Louisville or the Bullitt Amateur Radio Society (BARS) provide opportunities to socialize with others in the hobby while exchanging knowledge and equipment and participating in club events.  There are a number local scheduled on-the-air chats, called nets.  The Amateur Radio Kentuckiana website lists a number of local nets, repeaters and license training and testing resources – as amateur radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and requires a license.

To learn more about this fun and practical tech hobby, visit the website above, contact a local club, or check out the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national organization for radio amateurs, which is in its 100th year.

The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, kicks off this week in Las Vegas

CESRunning from Tuesday, January 6, through Friday, January 9, the 2015 CES showcases the latest tech trends on the market, as well as those that will be coming soon.

More than 160,000 attendees will be walking over 2 million square feet of exhibit space to visit with nearly 4,000 exhibitors and learn about the gadgets that will be making our life easier.  This is also the place for product launches – with tens of thousands of new product announcements being made for everything from the biggest, sharpest, and curviest new televisions to the smallest and smartest devices.

Continuing to be a popular category, wearable tech will be big this year, as will be connected tech in the automotive industry.  The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that the 2015 International CES will feature the largest ever showcase of products, services and technologies that make up the “Internet of Things” (IoT), with more than 900 exhibitors planning to share innovations that harness the power of the network to connect everyday devices.

“The ‘Internet of Things’ is the hottest topic in tech right now,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA. “It’s all about the opportunity to connect everyday items like cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices like PCs and smartphones for greater control and management of our everyday lives. We’re excited that the 2015 CES will bring together all of the companies and products that are making this a reality.”

Louisville Dispatch staff will be on hand at the 2015 CES to share the hottest new devices with you.

 

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