BTC Fiber awarded grant to build fiber

Posted: January 31, 2020

fiber construction at Walden RidgeBTC Fiber received a grant from the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act that will help provide fiber optic access in the Walden Ridge community in Rhea County.

BTC Fiber will match the $701,120 grant for a total investment of more than $1.4 million.

“This was a highly competitive grant process, and we are thrilled to have been chosen from among the many companies that applied,” says Charlie Boring, general manager at BTC Fiber. “This grant will help us deliver broadband to an area of the state that desperately needs access.”

When completed, the fiber optic network will make high-speed broadband internet access available to 488 homes.

Customers in a room sitting at tables and signing up for fiber

“Broadband has become a vital lifeline to our rural communities in Tennessee, including those in Rhea County,” says state Sen. Ken Yager, whose district includes the area approved for the grant. “I’m pleased to see the governor’s grant program leveraging state dollars with investment and expertise from BTC Fiber to make sure residents don’t get left behind.”

The Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act was created by the legislature in 2017 and provides funding to expand broadband access in rural Tennessee. The program is administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and is designed to provide broadband access throughout Tennessee while targeting areas that are unlikely to receive broadband service without grant funding.

For more information, visit the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility program site.