GAINESBORO – Twin Lakes will receive more than $1.4 million for broadband internet access improvements in parts of Fentress and Overton counties.
The grant is part of $19.7 million in broadband accessibility grants announced by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe to expand service to nearly 31,000 Tennesseans.
“With the leadership of Gov. Lee and support of the General Assembly, we are able to position rural Tennessee to compete on a level playing field,” Rolfe said in a press release. “Since 2018, funds have been awarded to connect 34,000 Tennesseans to broadband, and we are proud that this round of funding will nearly double that amount.”
Twin Lakes will use the grant funds, plus provide additional funding to complete the Crawford community project, investing more than $3.2 million to build a fiber network in this area.
“With this award, we will finish bringing fiber to every one of our cooperative members,” General Manager Jonathan West said. “We are near the end of our fiber deployment and have invested over $240 million in bringing fiber connectivity to our membership. Approximately 97% of our service footprint has been built. This will enable us to connect the most rural portion of our area and finish our Cooperative project.”
Reliable access to broadband-enabled solutions will improve educational offerings, local job markets, the ability to provide telemedicine and first response emergency services, and more.
For a complete list of awardees, visit https://tnecd.com/news/governor-lee-commissioner-rolfe-announce-nearly-20-million-in-broadband-accessibility-grants/
To learn more about Tennessee’s broadband initiatives, visit tn.gov/broadband.
Twin Lakes is a broadband, TV, security and phone service cooperative incorporated in 1951. As a cooperative, Twin Lakes is owned by the member subscribers in the following areas: Baxter, Byrdstown, Celina, Chestnut Mound, Clarkrange, Cookeville South, Crawford, Gainesboro, Granville, Highland, Jamestown, Livingston, Moss, North Springs and Rickman.
