Clarksville-Tenn. – Today, at the 4th Annual Clarksville-Montgomery County Growth Summit, Connected Tennessee and the Clarksville-Montgomery County Planning Team announced Clarksville-Montgomery County as a certified Connected community and released its Technology Action Plan.
“Connected Community certification says to the nation that Clarksville-Montgomery County provides its institutions, businesses, and residents with the broadband technology that is a critical foundation to continuous improvement for our community,” said Mayor Kim McMillan. “We already excel in many areas, from healthcare to industrial manufacturing. By committing to the Connected template, we can be certain that the technology infrastructure provided to our community is as capable as the community itself.”
Clarksville-Montgomery County has been working with Connected Tennessee since October of 2014 on the Connected Community Engagement Program. This initiative assesses the local broadband landscape, identifies connectivity gaps, and establishes technology-driven goals and objectives to increase broadband access, adoption, and use for families, organizations, and businesses throughout the community.
“Connected Community certification says to potential investors that Clarksville-Montgomery County understands today’s global business environment and is committed to providing the tools necessary for industries to build, grow, and create jobs in our community,” said Cal Wray, Executive Director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council. “An impartial assessment of our digital infrastructure validates the high quality of resources available in our area.”
Brian Taylor, Superintendent of the Clarksville Department of Electricity and CDE Lightband agreed the award was a great economic development tool and talked about CDE’s part in the program. “CDE is proud that with our investment in fiber infrastructure and high speed internet, we were able to play a role in watching Clarksville-Montgomery County achieve connected community designation,” Taylor said.
Connected certification affords a community an avenue to discuss its success and pursue opportunities as a recognized technologically advanced community. The Clarksville-Montgomery County Technology Action Plan unveiled at the event includes projects and action items related to increasing public area access, facilitating Internet safety classes, and working to improve available technology and connectivity to students. The certification is an important milestone as the team now phases into implementation of its newly established Technology Action Plan.
For questions about the Connected Community Engagement Program in Tennessee, please contact info@connectedtn.org.
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