Companies plan to expand broadband internet coverage
Two companies are expanding broadband internet coverage for Anderson County residents.
Last year, the county provided matches for federal grants helping the companies, Highland Communications and Comcast.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank gave updates about the two projects to The Courier News.
Work on the Highland Communications first phase, a fiber line starting in Oliver Springs and going to Rocky Top, was already underway in November and continued in December. Customers will get broadband from that project in 2024, the company has told Frank.
Comcast plans to start construction early this year.
It plans to connect River, Lovely Bluff, Savage Garden, Sequoyah, Beech Grove, Hinds Creek, Byrams Fork, Lone Mountain, Mt. Olive, Ridge Circle, and Mill Creek roads, and Stardust Marina.
But it may not cover all these areas, especially if the customer already has a different service.
Even though the projects involve private companies, they also received funding from the federal American Rescue Plan, and money coming to the county through the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund.
With both Comcast and Highland View, the county is providing some support. For the Highland Communications project, the county did not directly commit money. Instead, Highland Communications entered into a 40-year lease agreement for some property the county owns in Rocky Top, that the county cleaned it up so that Highland Communications could use it to store equipment. With Comcast, the county agreed to spend $250,000 for the project.
Highland Communications stated to the county it had already set the anchors for the line in November. The company said it planned to place the strand and fiber in December.
Frank cautioned, as with Comcast, that Highland Communications may not cover all of the addresses in the planned area, but may cover some beyond it.
Some areas that Highland Communications may cover include Graves Gap including Brown Flats Lane, Braden Flats Lane, Duncan Flats and a small section on Tennessee Highway 116 between Ginger’s Deli and Diamon Bailey Road. Seiber Mountain areas covered by the new broadband may include portions of Tennessee Hollow Lane, Tennessee Hollow Church Road, Seiber Mountain Lane, Braden Flats Road East and Thistle Hollow Lane. It may include Vowell Mountain Road, Vowell Mountain Lane, Old Swag Church Lane, Upper Vowell Mountain Road and Upper Vowell Mountain Lane. It may also include Beech Grove, specifically portions of Beech Grove Road, Commissary Road, Cameron Hollow Road, Cambria Hollow Lane, Cameron Hollow Road and Cameron Hollow Lane.
“Highland has been very communicative with Anderson County throughout this project, and I am enormously grateful for the partnership,” Frank stated in an email.