USDA Invests Nearly $17 Million in Broadband in Rural TN

ReConnect Funding to Provide High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity to More Than 4,100 Rural Households

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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $17 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Tennessee. These investments are part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program.

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“Access to a high-speed internet connection is a cornerstone of prosperity, and unfortunately many of America’s rural communities lack access to this critical infrastructure. The USDA is committed to leveraging all available resources and being a strong partner to rural communities in deploying high-speed broadband e-Connectivity to the people, businesses and community facilities that don’t have access yet. Connecting America’s rural communities to this essential infrastructure is one of USDA’s top priorities, because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives."

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— Bette Brand, USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary

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In the tri-state region, Volunteer Energy Cooperative will use a $3.7 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 2,687 people, 79 farms and nine businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Meigs County, Tennessee.