The Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) in Birchwood Tennessee says it’s leveraging American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to expand affordable fiber access into long underserved parts of The Volunteer State.
Roughly 10 percent of residents in the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County, Tennessee lack access to broadband. A problem that’s probably worse given the notorious unreliability of FCC broadband mapping data. Tennessee is currently ranked 24th in the nation in terms of broadband availability, affordability, and speed.
Enter VEC, which has begun construction on a new fiber expansion plan that will bring affordable fiber access to nearly 300 homes in Birchwood thanks to a $615,617 ARPA grant.
“Whether it’s educational, or if it’s business, even this community center that we’re in today, if you’re going to have opportunities for the youth, you have to connect to the internet,” VEC CEO Dion Cooper tells local CBS affiliate WDEF 12.
VEC’s fiber expansion will extend fiber-optic lines along Birchwood Pike from Highway 60 to David Hill Road, later expanding westward toward the Tennessee River and eastward along Grasshopper Road to Pierce Road. In addition to the fiber expansion, Hamilton County recently secured a state grant to develop a modern computer lab at the Birchwood Community Center.
“Reliable broadband is a necessity for education, business, and connecting our community’s youngest and oldest learners with the world,” Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said of the build. “This project is a significant step in closing the digital gap for residents in North Hamilton County.”
Tennessee is also poised to receive $813 million in Broadband, Equity, Access And Deployment (BEAD) grants courtesy of the 2021 infrastructure bill. Tennessee’s Republican Representatives and Senators voted against both the ARPA and infrastructure legislation that made these improvements possible.
Inline image of VEC lineman reaching for wire courtesy of VEC Facebook page
