KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee and Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced a $163 million plan on Tuesday to further expand broadband to more than 236,000 Tennesseans across 92 counties.
"Broadband is essential to all Tennesseans, and that's why we are making strategic investments in our state's broadband infrastructure and digital opportunity programs to create a pathway to education, job training and greater opportunity statewide,” Gov. Lee said. "I thank the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group for their continued support and management of these broadband dollars."
According to the release, the Tenessee Department of Economic and Community Development has spent more than $715 million to expand the state's broadband infrastructure, connecting more than 689,000 Tennesseeans across 275,000 residential and business locations to the internet.
"More than $715 million has been invested to expand broadband under Governor Lee’s administration, and we are excited to announce additional funding today that will ensure Tennesseans have access to and benefit from high-speed internet, which opens the door to high-quality job training,” McWhorter said in a release.
Around $97.2 million is being funded by the Last Mile infrastructure programs and around $65.5 million is set to be invested in digital opportunity programs, the release said.
These plans are all a part of a larger plan to ensure everyone has access to high-speed internet by 2028.
"TNECD’s investment of $97.2 million in broadband infrastructure will provide access to more than 58,200 Tennesseans across 23,000 locations in 37 counties," according to the release.
The release also provided a list of the amounts that counties received in the last round of funding. Some of the East Tennessee counties included in it are listed below.
- $291,729.98 - Blount Count
- $205,703.24 - Jefferson County
- $15,192,642.36 - Cocke County
- $163,179.11 - Monroe County
