Gov. Haslam calls for investing in broadband expansion for rural counties

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) – Governor Bill Haslam announces his second big push for the current legislative session.

He wants to improve broadband service in rural Tennessee counties.

Tennessee ranks 29th in the country for broadband access and 34% of its residents don’t have access to minimum standards.

The Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act would provide $45 million over three years in grants and tax credits for service providers to extend service to uncovered communities.

It would also allow private, nonprofit electric cooperatives to go into the broadband business.

The administration has been studying the issue for a year now.

“This legislation provides a reasonable, responsible path to improve path to improve accessibility in a meaningful way through investment, deregulation and education.”

Here is a look at the counties in our area that need better service (EPB only serves Hamilton County with a little bleed over).

The map shows the % of people with 768 Kbps Download and 200 Kbps Upload speed.

Meigs and Bledsoe have the fewest in our region.

The Governor’s first project was raising money for road improvements in the state.