To cover gaps in high-speed access across the nation, including areas where there is no service or slow service, the federal government has announced distribution of more than $40 billion across the country.  And $1.3 billion of those funds will be allocated to Georgia.  This is the ninth-highest award of any state.

This unprecedented, historic allocation was announced on June 28, 2023, by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu in a meeting with leaders in Tattnall, Evans, and Candler counties.

This new billion-dollar investment will help surge Internet access to the more than 300,00 households and businesses across the state currently lacking access, particularly in rural communities.

The investment also comes after Sen. Ossoff and a bipartisan coalition of nearly 100 local leaders led a successful push to upgrade National Broadband Maps to more accurately reflect locations in Georgia that lack high-speed Internet access, helping lead to this historic announcement.

"This is the equivalent of what Rural Electrification was in the 1930s and 1940s," Sen. Ossoff said.  Communities and schools, businesses, and farms that don’t have access to high speed Internet are getting left behind.”

The $1.3 billion investment will fund the laying of fiber across the state to ensure every community has access to high speed Internet.

"This means an end to having to take your child down to a restaurant to use Wi-Fi to do their homework," the Senator said.  "This means that farmers, who rely on Internet access to make plans, to get data, to order products will have access to high-speed Internet.  This means every school in the state will have a shot at getting online at high speeds, every business."

However, the Senator cautioned, "This is going to take time.  This is the beginning.  But this isn't just the announcement of an idea.  This is the announcement of resources that are now on their way to the state of Georgia."

Expounding on the bi-partisan support of the new $40 billion infrastructure bill, Senator Ossoff said, "I know things seem awfully divided in Washington, and politics have become so nasty and even hateful sometimes, but we are here to bring the country back together to get this done."

Attending the press conference from Tattnall County were Tattnall County Commissioner Bill Kicklighter, Glennville City Manager Stan Dansby, and Tattnall County Development Authority Chairman Wayne Dasher.