Connected Tennessee Awarded Additional Recovery Act Funding to Extend Broadband Mapping & Planning Efforts
Grant will extend mapping efforts under the State Broadband Data and Development grant program for three more years
Washington, D.C. – Connected Tennessee will receive $2.7 million in federal funding to extend broadband mapping efforts in the state for three more years. The funds are a part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) grant program. The SBDD was initiated to 1) fund statewide efforts to assess broadband availability within a state so that it could be utilized in the development of the National Broadband Map, and 2) support activities that improve statewide capacity to compete in the digital economy through improved planning for broadband availability and adoption.
Last December, Connected Tennessee was awarded $1.8 million in federal funding for broadband mapping and planning, which allowed for the creation and delivery of a comprehensive map of existing broadband service to the state. The additional SBDD funds will enable Connected Tennessee to take this first iteration of the map to the next level, thus allowing the state to prioritize and track progress over a longer period of time.
Connected Tennessee is now in its fourth year of operation and has been met with much success in accelerating the use of high-speed Internet and other technology. Since its inception in 2007, Tennessee has experienced a 35% increase in broadband adoption. Today more than one-half (58%) of all Tennessee adults have broadband service at home, which translates into more than 2.7 million Tennesseans. Particularly noteworthy: broadband adoption has grown fastest among Tennessee’s low-income residents (those with incomes below $25,000), minorities and rural residents; all groups specifically targeted by Connected Tennessee’s eCommunity Leadership Teams (eCS) and the Computers 4 Kids (C4K) program.
“It is gratifying to know that our hard work over the past three years has made a real impact on Tennessee’s broadband landscape,” says Connected Tennessee’s Executive Director, Michael Ramage. “More Tennesseans than ever before are now able to access all of the benefits afforded by a high-speed Internet connection. With this new funding, we are now going to be able to focus on demand side issues and gather critical research at the county level. With our additional mapping and research efforts, we will be able to paint a clearer picture than ever before of where broadband exists and where we still have work to do.”
Connected Tennessee is an independent non-profit organization that works with assorted Tennessee private- and public-sector entities to decrease the cost of technology expansion and increase the ease of doing business in Tennessee. Connected Tennessee aims to accelerate the availability and use of technology statewide to create a better business environment, more effective community and economic development, improved healthcare, enhanced education, and more efficient government.
To view a summary of the new grant project please click here.
For more information about Connected Tennessee, please visit www.connectedtn.org.
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