TENNESSEE, USA — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced $14.9 million in broadband accessibility grants will support and expand service to 17,800 Tennesseans in 15 rural counties.
According to a release, this will impact 7,120 homes and businesses in Tennessee.
“Every Tennessean should have access to the same high-speed broadband, no matter what zip code they live in,” said Gov. 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.”
Previously in a State of the State Address, Gov. Lee proposed an investment of $200 million to ensure every Tennessean has access to high-speed broadband.
The proposal will help with educational resources, expand access to health care and support businesses in rural communities across Tennessee, the release stated.
According to the FCC’s 2020 Broadband Deployment Report, one in six rural Tennesseans lack access to broadband.
“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,” Rolfe said.
This is the fourth round of grants awarded as part of the Broadband Accessibility Grant program.
Recipients of this round of grants include:
- Appalachian Electric Cooperative: $919,500.00 serving parts of Grainger County
- Ben Lomand Communications: $179,695.56 serving parts of Coffee County
- Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative: $727,955.56 serving parts of Bledsoe County
- Comcast: $33,333.33 serving parts of Roane County
- Gibson Electric Membership Corporation: $1,379,944.00 serving parts of Obion County
- Loretto Telephone Company: $1,700,000.00 serving parts of Lawrence County
- Peoples Telephone Company (TEC): $2,000,000.00 serving parts of Benton County
- Point Broadband: $1,020,948.89 serving parts of Hawkins and Hancock counties
- Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Cooperative: $1,580,851.00 serving parts of Lauderdale County
- United Communications: $782,976.00 serving parts of Bedford and Marshall counties
- Volunteer Energy Cooperative: $647,890.00 serving parts of Meigs County
- Volunteer First Services: $1,924,783.33 serving parts of Cumberland County
- West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative: $2,000,000.00 serving parts of Weakley County
The release states that the grantees will match a total of $21.1 million, leaving a combined investment of $36 million across the state, within the next two years.
