Broadband accessibility grants totalling $14.9 million should soon bring connectivity to 17,800 Tennessee residents who currently lack adequate connections, reports Main Street Nashville. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe made the announcement, following up on comments made during Lee’s recent State of the State address.
“As many of us have transitioned to a lifestyle of working, telecommuting and learning from home, we have seen how much we rely on broadband, and those who do not have access are placed at a significant disadvantage,” stated Rolfe. “With the support of Gov. Lee and the General Assembly, we will be able to connect more than 7,000 previously unserved homes and businesses to broadband service, positioning rural Tennessee for future success.”
“Every Tennessean should have access to the same high-speed broadband, no matter what zip code they live in,” agreed Lee. “Our continued investment in internet connectivity will help level the playing field for rural communities across our state, and I thank these 13 providers for partnering with us to help nearly 18,000 more Tennesseans get connected.”
The providers include grant recipients:
- Appalachian Electric Cooperative ($919,500)
- Ben Lomand Communications ($179,695)
- Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative ($727,955)
- Comcast ($33,333)
- Gibson Electric Membership Corp. ($1.4 million)
- Loretto Telephone Co. ($1.7 million)
- Peoples Telephone Co. ($2 million)
- Point Broadband ($1 million)
- Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Cooperative ($1.5 million)
- United Communications ($782,976)
- Volunteer Energy Cooperative ($647,890)
- Volunteer First Services ($1.9 million)
- West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative ($2 million)
Numbers provided are approximate, and each grant is slated to serve a specific community or region. More details are available here.
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