County awaits federal broadband grant OK
Anderson County is waiting for federal approval of a grant application that would expand broadband service in parts of the county.
The County Commission approved a $10,000 local match for the grant in December 2024, contingent on approval.
County Mayor Terry Frank said the project would add a little more than 1,000 new broadband-serviceable locations.
Frank said the county supported both Frontier Communications and Comcast, but Comcast received notice that it was preliminarily awarded Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment funding for three project areas in Anderson County.
Once the state receives final approval from the federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Comcast will finalize its contract with the state of Tennessee and begin construction in Anderson County.
Frank did not provide a start date.
“Anderson County partnered with both Highland Communications and Comcast on prior grants, but there remain many citizens in our county who want service or who have inadequate service,” Frank said. “When most citizens depend on broadband for work, education and health, it is crucial that we continue to work to fill these broadband gaps.”
A map showing proposed broadband locations is available online. It divides the county into three areas.
The first, in the northeast, would require $3,176,717 in grant funds and include 570 locations, including addresses in Heiskell, Andersonville and Norris, as well as some in Clinton.
More Clinton addresses are included in the second region, which also covers parts of Rocky Top and Briceville. Funding requested for that area totals $986,531 to serve 424 locations.
The third region, which includes Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs and additional Clinton addresses, would receive $2,290,461 to serve 132 locations.
In the meantime, Comcast reported it had already connected nearly 800 homes and businesses in Anderson County as of Wednesday, Jan. 4, according to a company news release.
