Williamson County broadband buffering? Leaders say change is coming. - Tennessean

The connection person pointed to a slide. William Bradford, president of United Communications, said the bluish areas, mostly successful agrarian occidental Williamson County, are wherever net work volition soon beryllium available, acknowledgment to $14 cardinal successful state-distributed national funds. 

Bradford was joined connected the Franklin signifier by Middle Tennessee Electric President Chris Jones and Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson. 

The Tuesday greeting discussion: Broadband enlargement successful the region — portion of the quarterly Franklin Tomorrow Breakfast with the Mayors. 

Bradford talked aft the presumption astir however his company’s Project UNITE is "designed to get work to locations that didn’t person immoderate broadband whatsoever. Primarily aged DSL areas.

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“It was astir the full occidental fractional of the county.”

He specifically pointed to areas astir Fairview, New Hope, Burwood, Leiper’s Fork successful the west, arsenic good arsenic southeastern areas of the region similar Arrington and Triune that person tiny pockets without net access. 

“Those would beryllium the communities of superior interest,” Bradford said. 

Anderson was the lone politician connected signifier astatine the Oct. 25 lawsuit with Franklin Mayor Ken Moore retired recuperating from a wellness issue. 

“We woody with the connection infrastructure present and we deliberation of roads and h2o and sewer, etc. The caller speech is going to beryllium astir fibre and broadband,” Anderson said. 

The politician said aggregate companies person helped to grow the county’s broadband, including AT&T, Comcast and Charter. 

'Broadband is simply a mode of life'

The information of the funds from the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund–American Rescue Plan earmarked for Williamson County is portion of the full $53.4 cardinal that United received to besides assistance entree successful Bedford, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury and Moore counties. 

Also, receiving national broadband funds was the Volunteer Energy Cooperative, which volition utilize $15.4 cardinal to service parts of Williamson, arsenic good arsenic Bradley and Polk counties. 

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Jones said Middle Tennessee Electric, which supplies powerfulness for Williamson County, is hyper-focused connected providing net work aft merging 4 years agone with United. 

“For america broadband is simply a mode of life,” said Jones. 

He said the electrical cooperative, which serves much than 750,000 customers successful 11 counties, tin usage its already-existing “efficiencies to lick this problem.” 

According to United, the institution has provided broadband to much than 11,000 antecedently unserved locations successful Middle Tennessee. 

“We’ve gained a batch of ground. As of today, thousands of Middle Tennessee Electric members who didn’t person broadband before, person it now,” Jones said. “We person a batch of enactment near to do. But we are going to lick this for everybody.”