Franklin County votes to become Tennessee ‘Broadband Ready Community’

Franklin County commissioners on Sept. 17 unanimously approved a resolution to designate the county a Tennessee “Broadband Ready Community,” a formal status the county says will help secure state and federal broadband grant funding and encourage private providers to expand service.

The resolution, adopted by voice vote 15–0 after a motion by Commissioner Helen Stapleton and a second by Gene Snead, says the county has adopted an efficient, streamlined policy for reviewing applications and issuing permits for broadband projects and names a single point of contact for broadband permitting. The ordinance text filed with the record specifically cites Public Chapter 228, § 4-3-709, the state language that created the designation and sets minimum requirements such as 30-business-day review timelines and caps on application fees.

County leaders told the commission the designation is intended to make Franklin County a more competitive candidate for state incentives and federal grants and to reduce procedural barriers for companies seeking to install fiber or wireless infrastructure. The legislative committee had reviewed a draft ordinance in early September and sent it to the full commission for approval.

The resolution does not itself appropriate money; it sets permitting and administrative expectations and asks the county attorney to finalize ordinance language where needed. Under the terms approved, the county also agrees to notify the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development if any material changes occur to the designation information, since failure to notify could trigger decertification.

The resolution passed with no discussion recorded beyond committee recommendations. The item was listed as Resolution 9a-0918 in the meeting packet.