Last Friday, Gov. Bill Lee and the Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced the recipients of $20 million in broadband grants. WKMS-TV reported that seventeen grantees each agreed to contribute matching funds to complete projects across the state and support nearly 31,000 underserved residents.
“One of my top priorities is ensuring the success of rural Tennessee. With the assistance of these grants, communities across 21 counties will now have access to broadband that will aid in that success,” Lee said. “I applaud the efforts of these 17 broadband providers as they play a fundamental role in our efforts to boost rural communities throughout Tennessee.”
This is the third year the broadband grants have been available in Tennessee, where one in four rural residents lacks broadband access. The combined investment, between the grants and grantee contributions, equals $49.5 million.
According to the Department of Economic and Community Development, the latest round of grant recipients include:
- Ben Lomand Connect: $2,000,000 serving parts of Cumberland County
- BTC Fiber: $1,500,000 serving parts of Bledsoe County
- Charter Communications (Spectrum): $140,433 serving parts of Henderson County
- Comcast: $568,509.64 serving parts of Cheatham and Dickson Counties
- Fayetteville Public Utilities: $1,750,000 serving parts of Lincoln County
- Forked Deer Electric Cooperative: $719,921 serving parts of Haywood and Lauderdale Counties
- Gibson Electric Membership Corporation: $703,518 serving parts of Obion County
- HolstonConnect, LLC: $361,211 serving the Mooresburg community in Hamblen and Hawkins Counties
- Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative: $593,166 serving parts of south Perry County
- PVEC Fiber and Scott County Telephone Cooperative: $1,908,811.24 serving part of Union County
- SVEC onnect: $1,654,882 serving the Battle Creek and South Pittsburg Mountain communities in Marion County
- Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Cooperative: $1,768,686 serving parts near the Brownsville community in Haywood County
- TEC: $826,677.45 serving parts of the Buena Vista and McLemoresville communities in Carroll County
- Tri-County Fiber Communications, LLC: $501,811 serving parts of Trousdale County,
- Twin Lakes Telephone Cooperative: $1,406,000 serving parts of Fentress and Overton Counties
- United Communications: $1,331,504.80 serving the Eagleville community in rural Rutherford and Williamson Counties
- West Kentucky and Tennessee Telecommunications Cooperative: $2,000,000 serving parts of Weakley County
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