For some time now, but particularly so since the economic recovery from the 2008 recession, rural areas have been recognized as being left behind economically compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. With the dawn of the digital age and now remote work, this gap became even starker as rural areas struggled with slow internet connection speeds – in some cases little connection at all. The legislature has honed in on improved internet capabilities as one way to improve the economic possibilities for rural Georgia.
On Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp announced the latest investment towards these efforts. Thanks to some American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, more than $400 million will provide communities, households and businesses in 70 Georgia counties with faster and reliable broadband.
“I am very proud that Georgia is once-again leading the nation in developing collaborative, innovative, and fiscally conservative ways to leverage government funding to positively impact and serve as many Georgians as possible,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We look forward to the positive impact these projects will have once completed. I ran on a promise to bring opportunity to rural Georgians. If you look at the map of Georgians who will now have access to rural broadband, you will see a promise kept.”
That last sentence might be a hint that the funding could be a piece of future Kemp campaign literature in the upcoming Republican primary. For former U.S. Senator David Perdue to beat Brian Kemp, he will have to rack up margins in the more Trump-supporting rural Georgia. The more wins Brian Kemp can score in rural Georgia, the better his odds of holding off the Perdue challenge.
Counting some matching funds that are slated to be contributed, the total funding actually comes out to more than $738 million for the 49 grant projects that have been awarded funding. Many of the grantees are public-private partnerships, including counties, EMCs and telecommunications companies that all may be able to build the infrastructure and provide the broadband themselves. The grants were awarded through an application process with the Georgia Jobs and Infrastructure Committee, specifically tasked with reviewing grant applications and making recommendations for coronavirus relief funds.
“The volume of applications from all corners of the state proved what we thought we know: citizens need better broadband options for work, school, and play,” said Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia. “The communities and providers who did the detail work of separating out RDOF areas, avoiding overbuild in already served communities, and calculating local and applicant matches to stretch state dollars to more citizens earned these grants. These awards are a giant step toward resolving the technological divide between our urban and rural communities.”
