AT&T’s Sanchez talks 5G access during monthly chamber luncheon Tuesday

Since 2019, AT&T has added three new cell towers in Whitley County and the company is now providing 5G service to more than 1,900 households in Corbin.

AT&T Kentucky President Carlos E. Sanchez talked about expanding 5G service and making broadband internet more affordable as he spoke to the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce during its monthly membership luncheon Tuesday.

This was part of the message that AT&T Kentucky President Carlos E. Sanchez delivered as the keynote speaker for the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce monthly membership luncheon Tuesday, which was held at The Corbin Center.

Sanchez said the company is continuing to reinvent itself to help people stay connected in a changing world. Between 2019-2021, AT&T invested nearly $750 million in wired and wireless networks in Kentucky, in an effort to close the digital divide, and it is now offering 5-G access to 350,000 locations across Kentucky.

Congress is also providing funding to help close the digital divide in order to help companies cover half of the costs to expand broadband access to some more rural, remote areas that cost more to reach.

Sanchez noted that access is only one part of the equation to expand broadband services to more homes and that affordability is another key factor.

Between 2021-2023, AT&T is committing $2 billion to bridge the digital divide in order to help address affordability.

He said low-income residents, who have school-age children that qualify for free or reduced lunches, for instance, may qualify for a $30 per month credit towards the cost of AT&T internet service. The federal government also has the American Connectivity Program (CAP) that offers a $30 subsidy for families with the same or similar financial eligibility requirements.

About 200,000 people have signed up for the CAP program in Kentucky.

“We are excited about that,” Sanchez noted.

To find out about possible subsidies, contact your local AT&T store or long onto www.att.com/internet/access.