![\"fiber](\"https:\/\/www.tennesseebroadband.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BTC-Fiber-Walden-Ridge-340x255.jpg\")
BTC 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.<\/p>\nBTC 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.<\/p>\n
BTC Fiber will match the $701,120 grant for a total investment of more than $1.4 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a highly competitive grant process, and we are thrilled to have been chosen from among the many companies that applied,\u201d says Charlie Boring, general manager at BTC Fiber. \u201cThis grant will help us deliver broadband to an area of the state that desperately needs access.\u201d<\/p>\n
When completed, the fiber optic network will make high-speed broadband internet access available to 488 homes.<\/p>\n
![\"Customers](\"https:\/\/www.tennesseebroadband.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BTC-Fiber-Signing-Up-for-Fiber-340x255.jpg\")
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\u201cBroadband\u00a0has\u00a0become a vital lifeline to our rural communities in Tennessee, including those in Rhea County,\u201d says state Sen. Ken Yager, whose district includes the area approved for the grant. \u201cI\u2019m pleased to see the governor\u2019s grant program leveraging state dollars with investment and expertise from BTC Fiber to make sure residents don\u2019t get left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n