Internet access grants in federal package
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Access to broadband graphic by Emily Garcia
Oglethorpe County is back in the broadband funding game.
The county is one of 33 Georgia counties eligible to apply for grants with the announcement of a newly secured $250 million in American Rescue Plan investments to improve and expand broadband across the state.
“Broadband expansion is crucial to keeping Georgia’s economy moving forward,” Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a press release. “I hear from teachers, farmers, health care professionals and everyone in between that broadband access is crucial to carrying out their work.”
This additional grant funding makes more money available for rural Georgia counties to address the long-standing lack of broadband access.
“It definitely gives us more hope,” District 5 Commissioner Tracy Norman said.
The county has started submitting applications and expansion plans, he said.
“We are looking to try to get as much money as we can from that,” Norman said. “It would put broadband in a large percentage of the county.”
This announcement follows increased concerns from county residents, particularly after the county terminated an agreement with Paladin Wireless. Other eligible Northeast Georgia counties in this round of funding include Banks, Jackson and Madison counties.
“The community has spoken through different surveys, and it’s one of their main concerns, so it’s one of our main concerns,” District 4 Commissioner William Brown said. “I’m extremely optimistic we were named this time as an eligible county.”
Oglethorpe County didn’t receive any money from the first round of nearly $408 million in federal grants that was awarded in February. That was divided between 70 other counties throughout Georgia, including Elbert, Franklin, Athens-Clarke and Walton counties.
The Oglethorpe Echo reported in February that 52% of Oglethorpe County residents lack access to high-speed internet, which means they do not have a minimum of 25 megabytes per second download speed.
The county has also worked to receive funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program. That program requires Internet Service Providers to apply for those funds.