$30,000 has been awarded to Walker County, Georgia from Connect Humanity, a nonprofit impact fund, to participate in the Appalachian Digital Accelerator, an initiative that supports communities as they create custom connectivity plans: roadmaps for improving internet connectivity that leads to new economic opportunities and healthier communities.
The timing of the Appalachian Digital Accelerator program is momentous. As of February, all states have a plan to address digital equity: the condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in society.
By planning internet connectivity at the municipal and county levels, local communities will have a strategy to connect with state and federal resources, such as the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, that will come available for implementation later this year.
To implement the program in the greater Chattanooga region, Thrive Regional Partnership has partnered with Connect Humanity to provide project management and technical support to Walker County, along with Whitfield County and Bradley County in Tennessee. Each community will be working to create a connectivity plan that meets their broadband goals and prepares them for next-generation broadband networks.
“We are on a mission to ensure that residents of the tri-state have meaningful access to the internet to support their livelihoods and wellbeing,” said Shannon Millsaps, Chief Operating Officer of Thrive Regional Partnership. “With broadband deployment funds expected this fall, we are energized by this opportunity to partner with local communities across the region to address infrastructure challenges, affordability barriers, and digital skills gaps across the region.”
The counties were chosen by Connect Humanity, using following criteria, which guided the competitive selection process of 50 Appalachian communities:
- Community leadership,
- Financial capacity to manage a federal grant, and
- Connectivity needs of the area.
“High speed internet access is no longer a luxury,” said Joe Legge, public relations director, Walker County Government. “It’s a necessity for business, education, healthcare, emergency services, agriculture and our overall quality of life. The work produced by the Appalachian Digital Accelerator will bring us one step closer to our goal of becoming a Broadband Ready Community in Georgia.”
This work is supported by a subaward from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), led by Connect Humanity.
