TNECD keeps Tennessee More Connected
William Bradford, CEO of United Communications and a member of the Infrastructure branch of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Task Force, shared how the group is taking a coordinated approach to closing the digital divide and overcoming deployment challenges.
The invite-only group, created in November 2024, consists of cross-agency representatives, including those from internet service providers across the state, leaders from the nonprofit sector and government employees. Jonathan West, of Twin Lakes, is also a member.
Guiding Tennessee’s rollout of the BEAD initiative was the original impetus for establishing the task force, which is split into two sections: the Infrastructure Series, focused on overcoming deployment barriers, and the Digital Opportunity Series, which helps individual members of communities maximize the benefits of newly implemented technology and broadband access.
Recent efforts of the Infrastructure Series include streamlining permitting processes and removing roadblocks. The group also contracts statewide experts and agencies to discuss specific issues, as exemplified in a recent webinar featuring a Tennessee Department of Transportation commissioner who heard and addressed concerns on delays at railroad crossings.
Inviting William and Jonathan to be part of the task force was a no-brainer. Their companies are some of the largest rural investors in Tennessee. For example, United’s dedicated rural initiative, Project UNITE, has been awarded more than $100 million in federal and state broadband grants and has brought service to 47,000 previously never-connected homes and businesses.
Today, 51,000 unserved Tennesseans remain, and TNECD, along with groups like TNBA with a shared mission, will target these difficult-to-serve and remote locations. William notes the road ahead won’t be simple, but having come this far, shared expertise and commitment make significant progress toward expanded connectivity well within reach over the next four years. Soon, thousands more Tennesseans will have access to reliable broadband internet, which means greater access to health care, education, business and personal enrichment opportunities.