New Grant to Continue Smith County Broadband Expansion

A new grant through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will help Twin Lakes continue broadband expansion in Smith County.

County Mayor Jeff Mason said expanding broadband services benefits all residents of the area.

“Our farmers need it, our students need it to do their homework and their classwork, we have several people who work from home and those kinds of things,” Mason said. “When I was a child growing up in Smith County, water was a big issue and there was a push to get water throughout the county. In today’s world, broadband is becoming that new water issue and we have to push it out there.”

Mason and other Upper Cumberland county mayors visited Washington D.C. earlier this week to meet with national representatives and discussed the issue of broadband access in rural areas.

“We need more help on broadband. That’s one of the things as mayor that I’m pushing hard for,” Mason said. “That’s one of those things you get two or three calls a week on every week from people. It’s frustrating because as a county mayor there’s not a lot you can do but work with your co-ops and do as much as you can.”

The $1.2 million project will also include Jackson and Putnam Counties. This will be the second time in as many years for Smith County in receiving broadband expansion assistance, with the first project breaking ground last fall.