Bill Restructuring KentuckyWired Leadership Advances Amid Uncertainty
The middle-mile network program would be overseen by the Kentucky Commonwealth Office of Technology.
Feb. 2, 2026 – The Kentucky House State Government Committee approved House Bill 314 on Thursday, removing the executive director of KentuckyWired and restructuring the network’s leadership amid litigation entanglements, contract disputes and scrutiny over progress.
KentuckyWired is the state’s middle-mile fiber infrastructure program led formerly by Doug Hendrix, the KentuckyWired executive director. The program allows internet service providers to connect to it, extending broadband service to Kentucky’s counties, including rural communities.
Under the bill, the position itself would be eliminated, and the program would instead be overseen by the Commonwealth Office of Technology, which provides the state government’s information technology support.
HB 314 was sponsored by Kentucky Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville, who is also the co-chair of the Information Technology Oversight Committee. The committee has repeatedly reviewed KentuckyWired’s progress and management.
“No matter who came before us, one theme kept coming up: That there is a real, widespread concern about how the Kentucky Communications Network Authority, or KCNA, is currently overseeing this project,” Lockett said to News From The States.
According to Lockett, Hendrix allegedly submitted his resignation from KentuckyWired after a Jan. 12 oversight committee meeting, while spokesperson for the governor’s office Scottie Ellis said Hendrix did not resign, but instead retired after 27 years. On the same day, HB 314 was filed.
KentuckyWired has been a point of concern for many Kentucky lawmakers, due to its ongoing litigation between the state network authority and private partner OpenFiber — which does business under the name Accelecom — over contract problems as well as the program’s ineffective management.
During April 2025, KCNA ended its contract with OpenFiber, which was administering the network to thousands of customers, putting many in jeopardy of losing internet service and going dark. KCNA alleged OpenFiber breached their contract, leading to a lack of clarity and the eventual litigation in court over the disagreement.
On Thursday, all of the legislative committee Republicans voted in support of the bill, while three Democrats voted to “pass,” neither voting in favor or against it. The bill will now await a full vote of the Kentucky House.
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