Joey Garner
Bradford, Tennessee –TEC is pleased to be the recipient of a matching grant from Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development that will allow TEC to extend fiber internet connectivity to over 281 households in the communities of McLemoresville and Buena Vista, Tennessee. Construction will begin in late Summer 2020 and provide gigabit internet speed to 27 square miles in Carroll County. The grant total is $826,677.45 for a project total of $1,837,061.
In recognition of the vital public services provided by the McLemoresville Activity Center and the Public Safety Building in Huntingdon, TEC will donate laptops and provide 36 months of broadband internet access free of charge to support public access in these communities.
TEC extends a sincere thank you to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Crystal Ivey, Broadband Director Community and Rural Development for this award. TEC would also like to thank Joseph Butler, Mayor of Carroll County, for the community support and bringing improvements to rural Tennessee.
TEC has been providing telecom services to rural America for nearly a century, and they were the first to bring internet options to its rural markets over 20 years ago. TEC provides economic stability to their local service areas, employing over 90 people across Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Currently TEC has invested in and maintains approximately 3,700 miles of copper and over 900 miles of fiber in its rural markets.
“We are thrilled to bring Fast Fiber Internet to our neighbors in McLemoresville and Buena Vista. This grant greatly assists TEC in our commitment to bringing increased fiber internet to rural areas in Tennessee. It is our goal to connect people and strengthen the communities we serve; this is such an exciting opportunity,” states Joey Garner, Executive Vice President of TEC.