$447 million broadband infrastructure investments for dozens of Tennessee counties

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development is awarding $446,770,282 in grants for the expansion of internet access across Tennessee. Nearly $50 million more will be directed to broadband adoption and digital literacy efforts. More than 150,000 unserved homes and businesses in 58 counties receiving broadband access. Priority was given to applicants with the lowest internet speeds, though all “unserved” areas (where only services with speeds below 100 Mbps download speed and 20 Mbps upload) were considered for the grant. Overall, with the $447 million awarded in funding, broadband access will be available to 36 grantees with 75 projects across 58 Tennessee counties through the Broadband Accessibility Grant Program which aims to offset capital expenses of deployment in unserved areas.