Josh Peterson

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced Ben Lomand Connect as a recipient of a $179,695.56 grant for underserved areas of Coffee and Warren Counties.

This is a matching grant with Ben Lomand contributing an additional $189,695.56 for a total investment of $369,391.12 for the county. The grant area is in northeastern Coffee County and includes 22 locations (12 residences and 10 businesses). It runs along State Highway 55 from southwestern Warren County into Coffee County. Funding will be available in April of 2021, allowing for infrastructure to be built and a two-year completion date.

Greg Smartt, General Manager and CEO for Ben Lomand Connect, commented, “Ben Lomand Connect is honored to receive this grant award. It is the fourth grant we have received for Coffee County, which has included two in Pocahontas and one in Normandy. This speaks to the tremendous need for high speed connections in Coffee County and throughout the state. This grant will fill a large gap where fiber service is not available. Access to high-speed broadband will provide economic, healthcare, public safety, and educational opportunities that residents currently do not have access to and contribute to a better quality of life. ”

A total of $14.9 million in broadband accessibility grants were awarded in 15 rural counties that will expand service to support 17,800 unserved Tennesseans in nearly 7,120 households and businesses. The 15 grant recipients, including Ben Lomand Connect, demonstrated a high need for grant funding as well as the ability to implement and sustain the projects in the long-term with strong community support.

“As many of us have transitioned to a lifestyle of working, telecommuting, and learning from home, we have seen how much we rely on broadband, and those who do not have access are placed at a significant disadvantage,” Commissioner Bob Rolfe said. “With the support of Governor Lee and the General Assembly, we will be able to connect more than 7,000 previously unserved homes and businesses to broadband service, positioning rural Tennessee for future success.”

Ben Lomand Connect was incorporated on October 2, 1952, to provide local telephone service to rural middle Tennessee. Ben Lomand began its diversification in 1993 by forming BLC, a wholly-owned long distance subsidiary. It was the first competitive local exchange carrier in the state of Tennessee. Combined, the two have over 25,000 access lines covering 3,200 square miles of territory. Ben Lomand Connect also offers many other services, including broadband, video, security, hosted IP solutions, and managed IT services

The Tennessee Department of Health is working with partners across the state to ensure continued equitable and efficient distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the community.

Vaccination appointments are currently available at county health departments in every grand division of the state. Protecting Tennesseans Most At Risk Tennesseans in Phases 1a1, 1a2, 1b and 1c of Tennessee’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan and those aged 65 and older are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

Tennessee continues making great progress in protecting those most at risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19:

More than 1.3 million Tennesseans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

17.5 percent of Tennessee’s population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Tennessee is ranked 12th in the nation for the percentage of second doses completed

In Coffee County, 9.74 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, another  8.51 percent of the population has received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine.  

Many rural Tennessee county health departments are seeing only a fraction of their daily COVID-19 vaccination appointments filled. West Tennessee counties have only about 20 percent of their daily appointments booked. East Tennessee has about 50 percent availability, and Middle Tennessee has 80 percent of their daily appointments filled.
TDH is developing a strategy to accelerate through phases of the vaccination plan while balancing vaccine supply and demand.

Book Your Vaccination Appointment Tennesseans may find vaccination providers in their area by visiting VaccineFinder.org. Book an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination through your county health department at COVID19.tn.gov.

A message from Elk River Public Utility District: 

Elk River Public Utility District of Franklin and Coffee Counties looks forward to recognizing National Gas Utility Workers’ Day on March 18, 2021. This day of recognition is a time when communities such as ours can remember the employees who provide one of their most valuable assets—their natural gas utility.

Safety is Our Number One Priority and this annual nationwide event is intended to build public awareness about the hard work done by the employees of natural gas utilities. Our customers recognize the need for Safe, Clean, Reliable natural gas energy and they depend on the service of natural gas utility employees to meet that need.

ERPUD has been Your Hometown Natural Gas Energy Provider since 1955 and we are proud to have the opportunity to serve our customers throughout our service area of Franklin and Coffee counties. The District has approximately 17,000 Residential, Commercial and Industrial Customers annually. The District maintains and operates over 800 miles of natural gas mains.

We hope you join us in supporting natural gas as a premier energy source for our Country. Safe, Clean, Efficient, Dependable, Domestically Produced Natural Gas can help our Nation achieve energy security, reduce emissions and build a more competitive economy.

If you would like to learn more about the many benefits of natural gas and how your natural gas system works, please give us a call, drop by any of our three conveniently located offices or visit our Website at www.erpud.com