USDA Invests Nearly $17 Million For Fiber Broadband In Rural Tennessee

Posted: October 9, 2020

Tennessee Broadband Association members receive over $13 million of the ReConnect funding

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $17 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Tennessee.

Tennessee Broadband Association members received more than $13 million of the funding to deploy state-of-the-art fiber-to-the-premises networks.

“Having access to fiber broadband technology is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” TNBA Executive Director Levoy Knowles said. “With these grants, our members can continue to provide their customers and the communities they serve with this life-changing, essential resource.”

Ben Lomand Connect will use a $1.9 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 152 people, 33 farms and one business to high-speed broadband internet in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

representatives of Tennessee Broadband Association members standing in front of a lift truck

Highland Communications will use a $6.4 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 2,908 people, 73 farms, 25 businesses, eight educational facilities and a fire station to high-speed broadband internet in Campbell County, Tennessee.

DTC Communications will use a $2.2 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 2,053 people, 65 farms and 17 businesses to high-speed internet in Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties in Tennessee.

West Tennessee Telephone Company, Inc., doing business as TEC, will use a $2.7 million ReConnect Grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 2,940 people, 40 farms, five businesses and a fire station to high-speed internet in Carroll County, Tennessee.

“Access to a high-speed internet connection is a cornerstone of prosperity, and unfortunately many of America’s rural communities lack access to this critical infrastructure,” USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA is committed to leveraging all available resources and being a strong partner to rural communities in deploying high-speed broadband e-connectivity to the people, businesses and community facilities that don’t have access yet. Connecting America’s rural communities to this essential infrastructure is one of USDA’s top priorities because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

These investments are part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program.