Tennessee outpaces nation in adoption of high speed Internet

High speed Internet adoption in Tennessee has grown 16 percent in the last six months, twice that of the rest of the nation, which grew on average 8 percent, according to Connected Tennessee. Additionally, 50 percent of Tennesseans now have high speed Internet at home, and 64 percent of the state's businesses are connected, according to a recent study. Six months ago, just 43 percent of Tennessee residents had high speed at home, and 55 percent of businesses were connected, according to the same study.

"Technology is the key to the future and we want to make that future a reality for all Tennesseans," Gov. Phil Bredesen said in a statement. "Connected Tennessee's concentrated efforts in rural Tennessee have helped stimulate technology and broadband adoption in those areas of the state in recent months."

The study referenced above, Tennessee's Technology Trends study, also found that rural areas had an even more accelerated rate of growth in high speed Internet access at a 37 percent increase over the last six months. Small businesses, however, took the cake, increasing from 61 percent high speed Internet adoption to 77 percent high speed Internet adoption

Connected Tennessee, which has helped spur this success in Tennessee, is a public-private partnership that works with everyone in the state, from businesses and government entities to universities, in order to accelerate technology deployment.

Tenn. adoption of broadband outpaces nation (Memphis Business Journal)

Connected Tennessee (ConnectedTn.com)