An Alabama electrical cooperative is helping rural residents of Tennessee get high-speed internet. The developer of a private mountaintop community outside of Chattanooga teamed up with the North Alabama Electrical Cooperative to get high-speed Internet access for the neighborhood. Developer John Thornton tried and failed to get the Tennessee legislature to expand broadband in rural areas. The proposal would have allowed municipal utilities that offer broadband to provide ultra-fast Internet outside their service area. It failed in the Legislature amid opposition from private Internet providers such as AT&T and Comcast. Because of the current law, Chattanooga's EPB utility cannot expand its ultra-fast Internet to rural customers like the mountaintop development.
Alabama Group helps rural Tennessee get High Speed Internet
