Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter announced that the state will award $101.6 million in funding as part of the second round of broadband and digital opportunity grants.
These investments will provide last-mile broadband access and digital opportunity programs to more than 97,000 Tennesseans across 75 counties. With this latest grant round, TNECD's total commitment to expanding the state's broadband infrastructure rises to $683 million, with an additional $132.6 million invested in digital opportunity initiatives, connecting more than 700,000 Tennesseans across 280,000 residential and business locations.
“High-speed internet access is essential to all Tennesseans, and that's why we continue making strategic investments in our state's broadband infrastructure and digital opportunity programs to create a pathway to education and skills training,” said Gov. Lee. “I thank the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group for their continued efforts to manage these dollars effectively and expand opportunity.”
The department’s efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that all residents have access to high-speed internet by 2028, and have opportunities to develop digital skills, access high-quality tech jobs, connect to broadband enabled devices and access online learning and telehealth resources.
“We continue to make significant strides in expanding access to high-speed internet statewide, investing more than $816 million in broadband infrastructure and broadband adoption since Gov. Lee took office in 2019,” said Commissioner McWhorter. “High-quality job training starts with access to high-speed internet, and this latest investment will help us further prepare Tennesseans for the jobs of the future.”
TNECD’s $34.5 million investment in broadband infrastructure will expand high-speed internet access across 5,241 locations in six counties.
Additionally, the department’s $67.1 million investment in digital opportunity grants will promote digital literacy and equip more than 3 million Tennesseans with the skills needed for high-paying virtual jobs across 66 counties.
Across all four programs, grantees are contributing approximately $25.1 million in matching funds, with project completion slated for December 31, 2026.
Below is a brief overview of each of the four grant programs, along with the total funding awarded for each:
The Last Mile grants, totaling $34.5 million, will be distributed to five internet service providers. These funds will facilitate high-speed broadband access, increase deployment and encourage adoption of broadband in areas of Tennessee that are currently lacking broadband at speeds of 100 megabytes per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload.
The Digital Skills, Employment, and Workforce Development (DSEW) grants, totaling $16.1 million, will be distributed to 29 organizations. These funds will support a variety of training and education programs aimed at enhancing digital skills and workforce development. These DSEW programs will help build a pipeline for high-paying digital jobs while equipping individuals with the skills needed to thrive in today’s digital economy and foster innovation.
The Connected Community Facilities (CCF) grants, totaling $49.4 million, will be distributed to 31 local governments. These funds will enable workforce development, virtual health monitoring, virtual education, and broadband access, all within one building for communities throughout Tennessee.
The Broadband Ready Communities (BRC) grants, totaling $1.6 million, will be distributed among 19 local governments. These funds will support community-based digital skills training and deliver the technology necessary to equip communities with digital adoption resources.
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