As America’s reliance on broadband grows, the cost of our digital divide grows with it. But decades of government-led programs designed to reach unserved Americans have been compromised by waste, conflicts of interest, and poor planning. We cannot afford to repeat these mistakes.
Communities across Tennessee are exploring their own options, including a new municipal broadband buildout from KUB. Meanwhile, President Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal (AJP) would invest more than $65 billion nationwide to connect homes, schools, and small businesses in remote areas – while also aiming to make broadband more affordable to low-income households.
On Monday, June 28, Business Forward hosted a briefing with Amy Martin, President of Tennessee Cable & Broadband Association; Jim Doyle, President of Business Forward; Cassandra Denton, Owner of SanSational Creations; Tom Schatz, President of Citizens Against Government Waste; and State Representative Martin Daniels, on the digital divide, KUB’s proposed municipal broadband buildout, private sector alternatives, and options under President Biden’s AJP.
During the briefing, Martin, Doyle, Denton, Schatz, and Daniels compared the costs, approach, and impact of the KUB project and the private sector alternative, and discussed how business leaders in Knoxville and across Tennessee can get involved.