Rutherford County House Republican lawmakers today announced $7.2 million in grant funding will be used to expand broadband availability and access to high-quality, digital jobs locally.

The eight grants are part of $162.7 million in overall funding administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD). The investments will provide broadband access and digital opportunity programs to more than 236,000 Tennesseans across 92 counties.

Members of the Rutherford County House Republican delegation include State Representatives Charlie Baum, Tim Rudd and Bryan Terry, all of Murfreesboro, and Mike Sparks and Robert Stevens of Smyrna.

“The availability of reliable, high-speed internet is essential for the success of those in our communities,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Increasing access to this essential service will benefit countless families, students and employers across Rutherford County. We look forward to the positive results these investments will have.”

Local grant recipients include:

• United Communications: $1.78 million to expand broadband access in parts of Rutherford and Williamson counties through the Middle Mile program

• United Communications: $3.06 million to expand broadband access in parts of Rutherford and two other counties through the Middle Mile program

• Rutherford County: $100,000 to expand digital skills training and broadband infrastructure through the Broadband Ready Communities (BRC) program

• FUTURO, Inc.: $225,000 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Rutherford and three other counties through the Digital Skills, Education and Workforce (DSEW) program

• Greater Nashville Regional Council: $404,893 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Rutherford and 12 other counties through the DSEW program

• Morecomputing Learning Services, Inc.: $374,969 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Rutherford and two other counties through the DSEW program

• The Village at Glencliff: $272,897 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Rutherford and 13 other counties through the DSEW program

• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Murfreesboro: $1 million to offer a Telecommunications Electronics Technician diploma through the TCAT Broadband Workforce program

The Last Mile and Middle Mile grant programs assist with capital expenses related to broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas of Tennessee. They are part of a broader strategy to ensure every resident has access to high-speed internet by 2028.

Additionally, TNECD has launched four new programs to promote broadband opportunity and high-paying digital jobs statewide. DSEW grants support a variety of training and education programs to advance digital skills and workforce development, creating a pipeline for well-paying digital jobs. CCF grants support construction and renovation of spaces that offer services for digital advancement in workforce, health care and education. BRC grants support community-based digital skills training, public Wi-Fi projects, distribution of free or low-cost devices and marketing for low-cost internet plans. TCAT Broadband Workforce grants will help develop a well-trained and diverse telecommunications workforce capable of deploying and managing broadband infrastructure through a Telecommunications Electronics Technician diploma course.

TNECD’s most recent broadband infrastructure grants will provide access to more than 58,200 Tennesseans in 37 counties. In all, the department has invested more than $715 million to expand the state’s broadband infrastructure, connecting more than 689,000 Tennesseans across 275,000 residential and business locations.

All grant recipients must complete their projects by Dec. 31, 2026.

Additional information about Tennessee’s broadband initiatives can be found here.