ROANEnet Receives Grant For Digital Literacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30, 2024
ROANEnet, a Harriman, TN-based 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to improving digital literacy, has received a grant from the state to provide computer training to citizens of Roane and Rhea Counties.
ROANEnet will receive $254,079.00 for digital literacy training, according to a press release from the office of Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter.
The state will award $162.7 million in broadband and digital opportunity grants that will provide broadband access and digital opportunity programs to more than 236,000 Tennesseans across 92 counties.
“Broadband is essential to all Tennesseans, and that’s why we are making strategic investments in our state’s broadband infrastructure and digital opportunity programs to create a pathway to education, job training, and greater opportunity statewide,” Lee said.
“More than $715 million has been invested to expand broadband under Governor Lee’s administration, and we are excited to announce additional funding today that will ensure Tennesseans have access to and benefit from high-speed internet, which opens the door to high-quality job training,” said Commissioner McWhorter.
These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to ensure that all Tennessee residents have access to high-speed internet by 2028 and have opportunities to develop digital skills, access high-quality tech jobs, connect to broadband-enabled devices, and access online learning and telehealth resources.
ROANEnet has been distributing computers to the underserved and conducting digital skills training in Roane County and other East Tennessee communities for more than five years, said Dayle Beyer, Executive Director of ROANEnet.
“The grant money will be used to expand our computer basics training classes and to further our mission of enabling digital inclusion in East TN. We believe every individual in East TN deserves the opportunity to be part of the digital world. Our work is more than providing technology; it’s about opening up a world of possibilities, breaking down barriers, and building connected and empowered communities.” Beyer said.
For more information and scheduling of future computer training classes in Roane and Rhea Counties visit the ROANENET.org website.