The future has arrived in Polk County thanks to a $21 million grant to develop and expand broadband availability to new and expanding industry and business sectors in Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama.
The U.S. Commerce Department’s NTIA has announced awarding of the grant to Appalachian Valley Fiber Network, a public/private partnership established to develop and expand broadband in the area.
It will involve projects in Bartow, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk and Walker counties in Northwest Georgia and along the I-20 corridor in Cleburne, Calhoun and Clay counties in Alabama.
This includes construction of 187 miles of new fiber optic, broadband infrastructure and service. The project can provide a launching pad for job creation and business development that is closely tied to the availability of high capacity broadband, based on a recent technology study by the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute.
Read more: The Fish Wrap – 21 million grant funds fiber optic network