NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, today announced more than $2.97 million in grant funding has been awarded to expand broadband availability and access to high-quality digital opportunities in Hickman, Lewis and Dickson counties.
The counties will receive two separate grants as part of $101.6 million in overall funding administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD). This investment will provide broadband access and digital opportunity programs to more than 97,000 Tennesseans across 75 counties.
“Access to quality broadband should be a reality for all Tennesseans,” Barrett said. “These investments will help expand the availability of digital opportunities in our community, and I congratulate each of the grant recipients for securing this important funding.”
Local grant recipients include:
- City of Mount Pleasant: $1.98 million to enable broadband access, workforce development, and virtual education and health monitoring in parts of Hickman, Lewis and two other counties through the Connected Community Facilities program.
- Persevere, Inc: $990,640 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Dickson and five other counties through the Digital Skills, Education and Workforce (DSEW) program.
The Digital Skills, Education and Workforce Development grants support a variety of training and education programs to advance digital skills and workforce development, creating a pipeline for well-paying digital jobs. The Connected Community Facilities program supports the construction and renovation of spaces that offer services for digital advancement in workforce, health care and education.
TNECD’s most recent broadband infrastructure grants, totaling $34.5 million, will provide access to more than 5,241 locations in six counties. The $67.1 million in digital opportunity grants will benefit more than 3 million Tennesseans across 66 counties.
All grant recipients must complete their projects by Dec. 31, 2026.
Additional information about Tennessee’s broadband initiatives can be found here.
State Rep. Jody Barrett represents House District 69, which includes Hickman, Lewis and part of Dickson counties.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://tnhousegop.org/rep-jody-barrett-announces-2-97-million-to-expand-local-broadband-access-digital-opportunity/