Rep. Darby Announces $15.1 Million to Expand Broadband, Digital Opportunity

NASHVILLE — State Rep. Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield, announced more than $15.1 million in grant funding has been awarded to expand broadband availability and access to high-quality digital opportunities in Carroll, Weakley and Henry counties.

The counties will receive three 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.

“Expanding reliable broadband internet access and digital opportunities will help our communities continue to thrive,” Darby said. “I look forward to the profound impact these important grants will have in West Tennessee, and I thank TNECD and each grant recipient for their work getting Tennesseans digitally equipped and connected.”

Local Grant Recipients

Spectrum Southeast: $12.5 million to facilitate high-speed broadband access and increase deployment of broadband in Carroll County through the Last Mile program.

Persevere, Inc: $990,640 to facilitate high-speed broadband access and increase deployment of broadband in Carroll County through the Digital Skills, Education and Workforce Development program.

Weakley County: $1.7 million to enable broadband access, workforce development, and virtual education and health monitoring in Weakley, Carroll and Henry counties through the Connected Community Facilities program.

The Last Mile grant program assists with facilitating high-speed broadband access and increasing deployment and adoption of broadband in underserved areas of the Volunteer State.

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 with across 66 counties.

All grant recipients must complete their projects by December 31, 2026.

Additional information about Tennessee’s broadband initiatives can be found here.

State Rep. Tandy Darby represents House District 76, which includes Weakley and part of Carroll and Henry counties.