United Communications Awarded $2.1 Million Grant To Bring Broadband Access to 710 Homes in Marshall County
Lewisburg, Tenn., August 28, 2020—United is excited to announce its commitment to bring fiber internet services to areas of Marshall County that have lower than 25 Mbps bandwidth by the end of 2020. This is, in part, made possible by the awarding of $5.2 million in grant funding from the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund, $2.1 million of which is designated for portions of Marshall County. In addition, United Communications will invest more than $544,000 of its own funding for the fiber buildout in this area.
Funded by Tennessee’s portion of the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), this grant will accelerate United Communication’s Middle Tennessee Connectivity Initiative—a long-term mission to connect rural, historically underserved areas with high-speed internet. This timely and crucial expansion will bring fiber internet access to 710 homes in Marshall County, ensuring that more Middle Tennessee residents have the internet connection they need to work, learn, and thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic and for years to come.
United Communications is proud to have built a community initiative that continually works to connect areas with better bandwidth access. Currently, they service over 13,000 internet customers, many of which are in areas that would otherwise not have access to broadband. Now thanks to grant funding, United will work to improve connectivity in Marshall County, as well as Bedford, Rutherford, and Williamson county zones by the end of 2020.
To commemorate this step forward, United Communications will celebrate the expansion with local officials at the Lewisburg Recreation Center on August 28 at 1:00 p.m.
“It’s an honor to be awarded funding from the CARES Act grant to improve broadband for many Marshall County residents,” expressed William Bradford, President and CEO of United Communications. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable internet has become even more pressing. United is proud to connect these residents to their jobs, studies, and other basic needs.”
“Bringing 113 miles of fiber to critically underserved residents is truly rewarding,” said Chris Jones, President and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric. “From working, learning, and communicating, this project addresses critical needs to put these consumers on par with other cities and towns that already have high-speed internet.”
United Communications’ passion for connecting these rural areas is rooted in the understanding that internet access is as necessary now as everyday utilities. Without connectivity, residents are highly restricted in basic areas of their lives, such as work, school, and medical visits.
About United Communications
United Communications is a leading provider of internet, digital TV, and phone services to enterprise-class businesses and residential customers in Middle Tennessee. United has been recognized as the 2020 Fastest Average Speed provider by BroadbandNow and includes approximately 1,000 route miles of fiber connecting in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Smyrna and covering portions of Williamson, Davidson, Marshall, Bedford, Franklin, and Rutherford counties. United Communications is a subsidiary of Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation. To learn more, please visit united.net.
About Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation
Founded in 1936, Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is the largest electric co-op in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States, serving more than 600,000 Tennesseans via 305,000+ accounts covering nearly 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle Tennessee counties, primarily Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson, and Wilson. For more information, please visit mtemc.com.