Governor Brian Kemp, among with other Georgia state leaders and members of the Broadband Infrastructure Committee announced on Monday they will be awarding 70 Georgia counties with $408 million for access to faster and more reliable broadband internet through 49 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant projects. When matching funds are contributed, the investment will total more than $738 million for the state of Georgia.
Trenton Telephone Company is among the companies that will be receiving a substantial grant to deliver broadband internet to the remainder of Dade County. $6.5 million will be granted to Trenton; which will allow them to upgrade service to an estimated 943 additional homes, amongst other upgrades; according to the statement put out by the governor’s office.
“I am very proud that Georgia is once-again leading the nation in developing collaborative, innovative, and fiscally conservative ways to leverage government funding to positively impact and serve as many Georgians as possible,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “I want to thank all of the members on the Broadband Infrastructure Committee as well as the grants team at the Office of Planning and Budget, and the broadband and special projects team at the Georgia Technology Authority for working together to score applications and recommend projects that reflect the greatest needs and interests of hardworking Georgians. We look forward to the positive impact these projects will have once completed. I ran on a promise to bring opportunity to rural Georgians. If you look at the map of Georgians who will now have access to rural broadband, you will see a promise kept.”
Dade County Commissioner Ted Rumley addressed the grant during his weekly appearance on the K-WIN Today Newsmaker segment, Wednesday morning; “They’ve already started some of the groundwork; but they’ll be going wide-open for the next few months… in places like Head River and New Home,” regarding the planned work to be performed by the Trenton Telephone Company.
When asked about the grant, Adam Austin, Trenton Telephone Company’s Chief Financial Officer stated; “We’re really excited to have the opportunity to provide high-speed access to our entire county. There’s currently a lot of places that are outside of our area of coverage, and with this grant we’re going to be able to expand the service we provide to those citizens.” Austin appeared at the weekly Dade County Commission update Thursday to speak further on the matter. You can view his statement here:
Walker County will also be receiving funding, totaling over $6.2 million. Walker County Commission Chair Shannon Whitfield publicly thanked Governor Kemp’s team, along with the other state partners for extending broadband access to the area. The funding is expected to serve nearly 87% of the under-served areas of Walker County, according to Whitfield.
Other local areas receiving funding:
Chattooga County: $3 million
Fannin County Development Authority: $3 million
Chickamauga Telephone Communication: $489,000
by Orey Yates