Group Works To Bring Broadband To Coal Country

One of the biggest speed bumps on the road to solving climate change is reducing the mining and burning of coal. And one of the biggest roadblocks to closing coal companies is finding jobs for all the people who will be put out of work. One organization working to help communities in coal country grow their economies amidst the industry's downturn is the Just Transition Fund (JTF) which helps rural communities access federal funds allocated for the building of broadband networks. Despite large amounts of federal funding for broadband, significant barriers exist, such as local community organizations and governments needing grant writers, and high matching funds requirements. JTF will announce a new initiative focused on supporting eight essential broadband projects in six states representing coal communities: West Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, as well as the Navajo Nation in Arizona. It seeks to leverage about $700,000 in combined philanthropic investments to convert $59 million in federal funding and subsidies into broadband infrastructure, which it expects will connect more than 52,000 households in affected communities. The JFT was founded in 2015 by the Rockefeller Family Fund and the Appalachia Funders Network to help communities access federal funds.