As workers continue to put the finishing touches on the home of Voice Video and Data Services, Inc. (VVDS), Mike Bryant holds up two large squares - one in each hand.

He says those two pieces will change the way Breathitt Countians do their Internet and telephone service in a matter of weeks. And it might even mean a change in how folks here watch TV.

“These are transmitters. The smaller one is for the house, while the larger one is for the tower to be put somewhere on the homeowner’s property,” Bryant said Monday morning at VVDS’s offices in the Jett Shopping Plaza. Bryant is the Senior Vice President for the new company, which is in the process of signing up people for the new Broadband Internet and phone service. “A man just got back with a GPS (Global Positioning Service) reading for a tower location on Town Hill. This weekend, we’ll have the construction crew erect a tower in the back of our office, which will connect us with other towers across the county.”

With the race now on to connect computers and other electronic equipment, Bryant states the towers will play a major role in doing so. “From our main tower here at the office, we’ll have that first hop to the tower at Town Hill. From there, the signal will be sent to 12-15 microwave towers scattered across the county. It’s like blanketing the area with those signals.” He reported there’s been about 50 persons who’ve signed up for the new service. And he’s hoping three communities will be online with VVDS in a couple of weeks. “Hopefully by Labor Day, we’ll have service to Jackson, Elkatawa and Mt. Carmel.”

Voice Video and Data Services has been in the public eye a few months before their opening. Russ Preston of Elizabethtown came to the Breathitt County Fiscal Court meetings over the past few months, asking the county for office space and asking for private funding. Bryant told the Voice that when the county didn’t want to get involved in the decision, VVDS decided to go ahead and open up shop in Jackson. “We now have a staff of nine full-time pepole in this office. The payroll here is over a quarter-of-a-million dollars. We’re already profitable, and almost everything we buy and get in our business is local.”

Just what will the customer get with this new service?

“We will provide wireless Broadband Internet, voiceover home telephone service for both local and long-distance calls, and soon, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service. The Broadband and phone service comes first,” said Bryant, who’s excited about the IPTV service being headquartered in Jackson. “It’s like standard cable TV, but it’s digital, wireless and transmitted over the Internet. The IPTV system to be built here will be the first in the nation, and it’s time our county gets something that’s first for a change.”

Bryant added another advantage with IPTV would be adding both High-Definition TV and Video-On-Demand in the future.

VVDS says they’ll offer residential Internet service at $29.95 per month. With residential phone service offered for $20 a month, the total for the two - Wireless Internet and phone - comes up to $49.95 per month. There is a $100 sign-up fee with no contract terms, and Bryant noted anyone interested can call 693-1422, or log on to their website at www.breathittbroadband.com.

The setup in Breathitt County is the first for VVDS in Eastern Kentucky - and will be a springboard for Bryant to hook up more mountain counties with their own Broadband service. “Once we get our first three communities here taken care of, we’ll balloon out to Lost Creek and Watts, then through Noctor and Whick. I’ve been told that we have 37 other counties in the region to get online, and that’s to be done in six months.” Once he’s finished in Breathitt County, Bryant will turn over the operation to Jarad Fugate, who’s been named Manager, NOC (Network Operations Center) and will be based in Jackson.

With all the work and construction going on at VVDS, Mike Bryant is finally fullfilling a dream he’s had since returing home from Atlanta. “Ever since my wife and I moved back here, I’ve tried to get Broadband service in Breathitt County. It’s putting us ahead in technology, and for a large part of the county, we’re the only player around. I’m really interested in getting the people who don’t have this kind of service. We’ll compete with AT&T, and people are excited about it. They want Broadband, and they want to save on their phone bill. And to watch TV in a more reliable way with a clearer picture. These are exciting times, and this is what I’ve waited for.”