Tennessee has been spending millions of dollars to provide high-speed internet access for everyone in the state. Now, there’s new COVID-19 relief money that could be used to expand that effort.
The state received nearly $4 billion in the latest stimulus package. Officials plan to use $500 million of that lump sum to expand broadband access — specifically for rural and underserved areas.
“I think our strategy is to [not only] address individual household and business access to broadband, but also access to institutions in the community that support the folks that live there,” said Crystal Ivey, the state’s broadband director, at a meeting held by Tennessee’s Stimulus Financial Accountability Group on Wednesday.
Ivey added that she hopes the funds will be used to offer free WiFi in downtown business districts, schools and libraries.
More than 400,000 Tennesseans lack broadband access according to federal government projections, although state officials say the number is actually much higher. The state also hopes to use part of that fund to alleviate internet costs for low-income customers — which state officials have wanted to do for a while but couldn’t afford until now.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM