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WK&T Gets Broadband Grant for Henry County

WK&T Gets Broadband Grant for Henry County
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Mar. 19, 2019 | PARIS
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 19, 2019 | 08:09 PM | PARIS
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced today that WK&T Telecommunications Cooperative has been
awarded $2 million under its Broadband Accessibility Grant program.

The cooperative will match these funds, investing a total of more than $4 million to build a fiber network in Henry County.

“This was a highly competitive grant process, and we are thrilled to have been chosen from among the many companies who applied,” said Trevor Bonnstetter, CEO of WK&T, which serves customers in rural Tennessee and Kentucky. “This grant will help us deliver broadband to an area of the state that desperately needs access.”

The project calls for building a fiber network in two areas of Henry County. One area lies east of Highway 79 and west of Kentucky Lake, while the second area is west of Highway 79 and northeast of Paris. WK&T applied last fall for what was the second round of Tennessee’s broadband grant program.

“Broadband internet is a vital piece of infrastructure which is highlighted with this announcement. This grant positions Henry County for other job-creating opportunities in the years to come,” said Brent Greer, mayor of Henry County. “Residents and businesses in rural Henry County deserve the same quality of internet service offered in metropolitan areas. We are grateful to WK&T and the governor’s grant program for
bringing this world-class network to Henry County.”

Many residents in the affected communities submitted testimony to support the grant application, citing how a lack of reliable broadband negatively impacts their quality of life in areas such as education, business opportunities, health care, family and safety.

When completed, the network will make high-speed broadband internet access available to 912 homes.
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