Broadband in Lumpkin gets $11.8 million boost

The Development Authority of Lumpkin County and Windstream are in the process of planning where nearly $12 million will be spent to expand broadband to Lumpkin County. The federal government awarded the county $8.1 million and a state grant for $3.7 million was assigned to the Development Authority.
“Lumpkin County Government and the Development Authority submitted grant applications to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the State of Georgia Fiscal Recovery Funds for broadband infrastructure,” said Rebecca Mincey, executive director of the authority. And they've received word that both requests have been funded.
The authority worked with Windstream to submit its grant application for part of Georgia’s $408 million in recovery funds for projects across the state. Originally, the plan was to make it possible for 6,400 homes and businesses to access broadband in areas most lacking in connectivity.
The Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners had already applied for the federal grant, working with Windstream.
“Windstream is making significant financial contributions as well,” Lumpkin County BOC Chairman Chris Dockery said. “The federal grant is based on underserved census blocks within the county. If you live in the middle of Dahlonega it probably won’t make a difference to you. But if you live in a rural area it certainly could make a difference in your ability to connect to high speed internet.”
Dockery added that Mincey and State Senator Steve Gooch were key in the effort.
 “I am thankful for State Senator Steve Gooch’s efforts to bring broadband access to rural Georgia, and I am proud of the Development Authority of Lumpkin County Executive Director Rebecca Mincey and the Board of Directors for preparing and submitting a highly competitive grant application that will allow this plan to become a reality,” he said. “We are eager to get to work on this project and further close the digital divide here in Lumpkin County.”

CAPITOL GAINS

On the federal level, U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff reportedly helped secure the funding for Lumpkin.
“According to NITA, the Broadband Infrastructure Build Out in Lumpkin County project is a last-mile infrastructure broadband service that will deploy fiber optic broadband service… This project will serve 5,448 households across Lumpkin County, as well as 193 businesses and 13 community anchor institutions within the proposed area,” stated a response from Warnock’s office when contacted by The Nugget.
Representatives from the Development Authority and Windstream are now looking at both projects to reduce overlap of the projects.
“We are now finalizing the scope of work for each funding source that will best address the unserved locations in Lumpkin County,” Mincey said.
To keep up with what is being planned, residents can be added to an email distribution list to learn more about the project by completing a Broadband Infrastructure Project Interest Form

“We will also be hosting a Citizen Awareness event in the next month or so for people to attend,” Mincey said. “This will be published online and through The Nugget.”