Tennessee gives $7.98 million boost to middle mile builder

United Communications snagged a cool $7.98 million through Tennessee's Middle Mile Buildout program. The local provider will use that money to lay down 267 miles of fiber to rural communities across 10 counties. United applied for the grants in 2023 as part of Project UNITE, its initiative to invest in universal broadband coverage across Middle Tennessee through local partnerships and grant funding opportunities. The new award will cover approximately 70 percent of project costs, and United’s owner, not-for-profit electric cooperative Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE), will fund the rest. The Middle Tennessee region covers 41 counties in the central part of the state. Tennessee’s Middle Mile Buildout and Last Mile grant programs are part of its federal Capital Projects Fund (CPF). Between them, the two programs are dishing out $162.7 million.