Sevier County staff report broadband progress; state grant map opens for providers

Andrew Temple, Director of Grants and Special Projects, updated the Sevier County Board of Commissioners on efforts to expand broadband access.

Temple said county staff have spoken with Charter Spectrum and Comcast; both providers told staff that Sevier County is a priority for expansion. He said Charter Spectrum connected more than 4,000 homes in the past 24 months using funds from a prior grant and that Comcast gave a similar but non-specific estimate.

Temple explained that the state's 'bead challenge' map is now open, which allows county staff to check service availability at individual addresses to get a more accurate understanding of where residents are underserved. He said providers can sign up for the state grant program to receive funding and that once allocated, providers typically have three years to use the funds to connect homes, community centers or other locations. Temple said awards should be made this calendar year and referenced a roughly $800 million pool being issued to the State of Tennessee for underserved communities; he said he could not recall whether specific funds discussed were 'middle mile' or 'last mile.'

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about whether the funds referenced were allocated by the state or federal government; Temple said the initial tranche came after the COVID period and relied on different mapping methodologies and that eligibility has changed as census-track maps were updated.

Next steps: county staff will continue outreach to providers and use the bead-challenge map to identify underserved addresses; the transcript does not include a specific timeline for local applications or awarded amounts to Sevier County itself.