by Aaron W. Hughey

When you think of Murray, Kentucky, you may not think of a place that’s on the leading edge of the Information Revolution.
But perhaps you should.

Several companies in the area (some of which are profiled in this magazine) are currently using the latest technology in their respective industries.

But the reputation the community has for being at the forefront of the Information Revolution is not just due to what’s happening on the factory floors. It is also a product of the degree to which Murray and Calloway County residents have embraced the Internet.

This area is so connected, in fact, that Yahoo Internet Life Magazine named Murray, Kentucky one of “The 25 Most Wired Towns in America.”

Steve Knopper, in an article which appeared in the April 2001 issue of Yahoo Internet Life, observed that this agriculturally-based community is a hotbed of broadband access to the Internet.

“In many big cities, connecting to a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) service or buying a cable modem is a nightmare of bureaucracy and missed installation appointments,” Knopper writes. But in this land of endless cornfields ... broadband is no bother at all.”

In order to establish where the “most wired” cities in America were located, Yahoo Internet Life Magazine contracted with Forrester Research, a market research company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In constructing their list, Forrester Research looked at four different factors. First, they assessed how many of the city’s residents had access to the Internet. Next, they tried to analyze how sophisticated the users are. This was determined by considering the proportion of households that connect to the Internet via broadband or are very interested in getting fast access and the online shopping expenditures these people made over a three-month period.

Third, they looked at how many of the city’s businesses are on the Internet. This information was augmented by examining something called “domain density,” which refers to the number of domain names registered per thousand businesses. Finally, they assessed how much content about the city and its various governmental agencies is available online.

After each of these factors was studied closely, a ranking system was developed which made it possible to designate “The 25 Most Wired Towns in America.”

With respect to Murray, Kentucky, the rest is history.

High speed Internet access is available through three different providers in the Murray area: the Murray Electric System, Charter Communications, and BellSouth.

All three agencies obviously contribute to the degree to which Murray is “wired,” although Knopper feels that much of the initial credit should be directed toward the efforts of the city-owned Murray Electric System.

To get the ball rolling, the city made a $7.5 million investment in its telecommunications capabilities a few years ago. The investment allowed the Murray Electric System to offer cable modems to local residents for only 27 dollars a month. Without the city’s investment in the initiative, broadband access would have cost significantly more and Murray probably would not have made the Yahoo Internet Life list.

Tony Thompson, the superintendent of the Murray Electric System, is very proud of the contribution that his organization has made toward Murray’s selection as one of “The 25 Most Wired Towns.”

“We’ve been in the cable business since October 2000,” Thompson observes. “We started offering high speed Internet access in January of 2001. We’ve certainly made a lot of progress in that relatively short period of time.”

“Presently, we have about 1,700 cable T.V. customers,” Thompson continues. “We also have about 650 Internet customers.”

“Both numbers continue to grow,” Thompson adds.

The philosophy of the Murray Electric System has traditionally been to serve residents within the city limits of Murray. But the company does have plans to extend beyond those borders.

“We plan to extend our services to the industrial park in the very near future,” Thompson explains. “There are a variety of businesses and plants in this area that need high speed Internet access.”

“The business is definitely growing,” Thompson asserts. “This is a really connected community.”

While Murray Electric System is a publicly owned utility company, Charter Communications, another major provider of Internet services in the Murray area, is a private business.

Charter’s predecessor actually began offering cable TV services in the Murray area in the late 1960s. They began offering Internet access to Murray residents in the late 1990s.

“Charter Communications is the fourth largest multiple service provider in the United States,” according to Dale Haney, general manager for cable systems operations for Western Kentucky and Northern Tennessee. “And although we are a publicly-owned company, Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, is the largest shareholder.”

Charter Communications is charged with carrying out Allen’s vision of a “Wired World”, where consumers will have immediate access to information and entertainment services.

“We operate from a digital platform, which is the foundation of the ‘Wired World’ initiative,”

Haney notes. “As a regional provider, Charter Communications services about 85,000 households in the Western Kentucky and Tennessee areas.”

“We provide high speed Internet connections for both individuals and companies”, Haney adds.

Charter Communications is really two businesses. Charter Pipeline handles residential users, while Charter Business Networks is more concerned with commercial customers.

According to their website, Charter Pipeline is a high speed, always on Internet service that is simple to use, easy to get, and economical. As is the case with Murray Electric System, access is provided through a cable, which means the speed is well beyond what is possible with an ordinary telephone connection.

“In the future, Charter has plans to offer interactive and Internet TV services as well as video on demand,” Haney explains. “Essentially we are constantly looking at the needs of our customers and trying to develop a company that can respond efficiently to those needs.”

It is interesting to note that both Charter Communications and the Murray Electric System are in the process of developing Internet telephone services that would utilize their existing cable lines.

“There really is no limit to innovations that are possible in the digital age,” Haney says.

The other major company which contributed toward Murray’s selection as one of “The 25 Most Wired Towns in America” is BellSouth.

BellSouth is a Fortune 100 company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It provides communications services for over 44 million customers in the United States and 16 other countries.

Eddy Roberts, the president of BellSouth Kentucky, notes that high speed Internet access to communities such as Murray complements the governor’s strategy to speed development of a broadband infrastructure throughout the state.

“BellSouth is committed to bringing its high speed Internet service to communities throughout Kentucky,” Roberts explains. “This technology is truly leading edge.”

Unlike the Murray Electric System and Charter Communications, however, BellSouth’s contribution to Murray’s “wired” status is not based on cable technology. Rather, BellSouth’s customers are provided access to the Internet via high speed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology.

“DSL provides high speed Internet connectivity that allows customers to surf the Internet while simultaneously talking on the telephone or sending a fax,” Roberts says. “Customers have a dedicated connection, which means consistent download speeds and peace-of-mind when transmitting important files.”

In essence, BellSouth complements the other major Internet access providers in the Murray area by giving customers a choice regarding how they would like to connect to the Internet. Cable modems and DSLs both have their respective advantages and disadvantages, so Murray residents can decide which technology best serves their individual needs.

“High speed broadband technology is crucial to the economic development of Kentucky’s communities large and small alike,” Roberts asserts.

So even though Murray is already one of “The 25 Most Wired Towns in America,” the community can continue to expect to be even more connected in the coming months and years.

John Williams, of the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce agrees.

“Since publication of the Yahoo Internet Life Magazine article, Murray is more wired than ever,” Williams reiterates. “I think many people are looking for a small-town atmosphere while at the same time, still enjoy some of the amenities of a big city.”
“Murray can provide the best of both worlds,” Williams concludes. .