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TACIR: Tennessee shows progress on broadband but tax exemptions’ effect on deployment is unclear
Summary
TACIR staff told commissioners Tennessee has improved broadband availability through grant-funded projects but state sales-tax exemptions for broadband inputs are not conditioned on deployment, leaving officials unable to track whether tax savings were reinvested into new coverage.
Dr. Matt Owen, staff analyst, told the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations on the broadband update that Federal Communications Commission data show 94% of residential locations in Tennessee could be served with at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload as of June 30, 2023.
Owen said Tennessee’s rank varies by speed tier and technology: at the 25/3 tier, combining wired and fixed wireless service the state ranks about 31st nationally, while for a faster 100/20 wired-only tier Tennessee ranks about 15th. He warned, however, that recent FCC methodology changes limit year‑to‑year comparisons because the agency shifted from census‑block reporting to a location‑by‑location map and introduced a public challenge process to correct errors.
Why it matters: the FCC’s coverage map and the challenge process will affect eligibility for federal grant programs,…
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