From the General Manager/CEO
Grants help bridge the digital divide
W
e have been extremely busy preparing grant submissions over the past few months and even the previous few years. The latest round of applications was submitted to the state of Tennessee for the Broadband Accessibility Grant Program, which is designed to offset capital expenses in the deployment of broadband in the unserved areas of Tennessee. The goal of this program is to facilitate broadband access to all Tennesseans while promoting practices that increase deployment and encourage adoption. Ben Lomand Connect has been awarded grants in the Pocahontas area of Coffee County and the Sunset Ridge community in Cumberland County. Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture has a Community Connectivity Grant Program, and we have received opportunities to further serve rural Tennesseans through this means as well. One of the amazing aspects of the Community Connect Program is that a technology and community center with free access LISA COPE General Manager/CEO to internet, computers and technical assistance will be placed in the grant area for two years to help residents bridge the rural digital divide. Our employees play an integral role in all grant processes. Their efforts have been tireless, and their joy when the awards are announced is equaled only by the joy of residents in affected communities. Our board of directors has been proactive in identifying and developing strategic goals based on the needs of our members and the communities we serve. They actively encourage, support and participate in community meetings too. Most importantly, these awards would not have been possible without the outpouring of support of residents completing surveys and writing letters that so clearly described their need for connectivity. The need to complete online homework, communicate with medical facilities remotely for testing and monitoring of chronic conditions, successfully establish and maintain home-based businesses, communicate with family members around the country and world, access emergency services, and so many other needs were identified in letters and conversations. While most of these grants are for Ben Lomand Communications’ areas, our fiber deployment continues in our cooperative service territory with the Hillsboro exchange nearing completion and engineering and staking commencing in Beech Grove. Several other locations are also seeing a tremendous amount of activity. We know that fiber infrastructure is crucial to the success and viability of our patrons and to Ben Lomand. We hope you will join us at the Ben Lomand Connect Annual Meeting on March 17 at the Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tennessee, where we will be discussing our fiber growth, regulatory changes and the many ways we are reaching out to you. The day’s activities will begin at 10 a.m., and we cherish this opportunity to meet and discuss the future plans of OUR Cooperative. Also, there will be a period of early voting on Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will be at the Ben Lomand offices in McMinnville, Sparta, and Tracy City. Also, we will have precincts established at the Noah Community Center in Beech Grove, the Hillsboro Homecoming Association Building in Hillsboro, and the Auxiliary Gym across from Van Buren County High School in Spencer.
4 | March/April 2018
The Ben Lomand
CONNECTION MARCH/APRIL 2018
VOL. 6, NO. 2
The Ben Lomand Connection is a bimonthly newsletter published by Ben Lomand Connect, © 2018. It is distributed without charge to all member/ owners of the cooperative.
is a member-owned corporation dedicated to delivering advanced telecommunications technology to the people of Middle Tennessee and the Upper Cumberland, including all of Grundy, Warren and White counties, and portions of Coffee, DeKalb, Marion, Bedford, Franklin, Van Buren and Rutherford counties.
Ben Lomand Connect 311 N. Chancery St. • P.O. Box 670 McMinnville, TN 37111 Telephone: 931-668-4131 or 800-974-7779 www.benlomandconnect.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Ray Troop, President, Warren County Gerald L. Sitz, Vice President, Grundy and Marion counties Jeff Flatt, Secretary/Treasurer, Warren County Roger W. Bynum, Coffee County Randall Day, White and DeKalb counties Donald Hillis, Van Buren County Cain Rogers, White and Putnam counties Joe C. Roper, Coffee, Bedford, Rutherford and Franklin counties Bobby A. Thompson, Grundy County
Produced for Ben Lomand Connect by:
On the Cover: Lee Meeks, along with his wife, Wanda, runs S.A.M.S. corner, short for Simply Amazing Memories Shared, in Coalmont, Tenn. See story Page 12.