A $10.3 million public-private partnership between Chattooga County, GA and fiber provider Windstream will provide broadband access to 3,400 addresses in the county.
Key communities covered by the agreement, which will feature 320 miles of fiber cable, are Summerville, Trion, Lyerly and Menlo.
The partnership includes $3.1 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program, which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Windstream will invest $7.2 million and cover cost overruns. Work on the project is expected to be completed next year, according to the press release.
The ARPA state and local program allotted funding to counties nationwide that could be used for a variety of purposes, including broadband deployments.
“We at Kinetic are thrilled to bring our ultrafast, reliable fiber connectivity and best-in-class internet experience to homes, businesses and schools here in Chattooga County,” said Michael Foor, Windstream president of Georgia operations for the Kinetic brand, in a press release about the Windstream public-private partnership. “This important county deserves exceptional internet, which will meet the county’s evolving demands for business, educational and personal use.”
Kinetic is the brand of Windstream’s gigabit fiber network. The company serves 18 states and is executing a $2 billion multiyear capital investment project.
In January, Georgia’s Capital Projects Fund Grant Program announced awards that together will provide high speed access to more than 76,000 locations. In all, $234 million in state broadband funding was announcement. Grantees’ investment will bring the total to almost $455 million.
Windstream was one of the big winners, with awards of almost $35 million for 4,509 locations in Clay, Clinch, Randolph and Schley counties.
In June, Windstream was awarded $8.5 million for Calhoun (1,425 locations), Echols (420 locations) and Webster (299 locations) counties in the Peachtree State. Windstream is contributing $11.2 million, which brings the total to $19.7 million.
