Appalachia Digital Accelerator
City of Fleming-Neon
The City of Fleming-Neon, a rural community in Eastern Kentucky, is working to drive digital adoption and resilience through its Connectivity Plan. Created with the support of the Appalachia Digital Accelerator, the plan aims to expand reliable broadband access, improve affordability, and foster digital skills. Following devastating floods in 2022, digital inclusion took on a new urgency, leading the community to focus on developing digital infrastructure that creates opportunities for business, education, remote work, and telehealth. This plan serves as a roadmap to expand digital opportunities that can power a thriving Fleming-Neon.
Fleming-Neon’s Connectivity Plan outlines a strategic approach to bridging the digital divide and fostering digital equity across the community. The plan prioritizes the development of reliable broadband infrastructure to connect unserved and underserved areas, reduce service costs, and increase digital literacy through targeted programs. At the core of this vision is ‘Neon Lights’, an intergenerational connectivity hub that will provide access to remote work opportunities, telehealth facilities, business development and more. Guided by local input and aligned with state and federal funding opportunities, the plan is a roadmap to rebuild a vibrant, growing Fleming-Neon with resilient digital infrastructure.
The Appalachia Digital Accelerator has been a revelation for the City of Fleming-Neon. The meetings, trainings, and community discussions, deepened our understanding of connectivity and helped our citizens realize that we shouldn’t settle for substandard internet access. With the Accelerator’s expert guidance and tools, we developed a connectivity plan that will move our community forward. Expanding digital access means expanding opportunities for education, work, and healthcare: we are beyond grateful to be part of this effort.
Broadband is back in Fleming-Neon: How community perseverance paid off
Find out how the community worked through the Appalachia Digital Accelerator to secure repairs to damaged equipment and upgrades to deliver almost Gigabit speeds.
Neon Lights: a vision for a high-tech community hub
Find out how Jeff and Cheryl Hawkins are working to create a community hub to provide connectivity, build skills, promote enterprise and much more.
What’s next
Since joining the Accelerator to explore broadband infrastructure options, the City of Fleming-Neon has already seen significant improvements in service. The incumbent provider has accelerated its maintenance and upgrade efforts, with some residents who previously experienced slow speeds and frequent outages now receiving download speeds of up to 950 Mbps. While network upgrades continue, the City is moving forward with implementing its Connectivity Plan. Digital adoption programs will be offered at the Fleming-Neon Library, and efforts are underway to establish a high-tech community connectivity hub. This hub will provide digital skills training, access to remote health services, workforce development opportunities, business support, and more — helping residents fully participate in the digital economy.
A project in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which contributed $6.3 million (80% of the total project cost).
