Volunteer Energy Cooperative of Decatur in Meigs County plans to provide 1,395 homes and businesses in Hamilton County with high-speed Internet.
The project will be in the Georgetown and Hopewell communities in the northeast part of the county.
County Mayor Jim Coppinger said the county earlier was looking at having to contribute several million dollars to make the project possible. However, that has been cut to $615,674 due to the state now expected to pay 70 percent of the overall cost of $$6,156,713.
An official of Volunteer Energy Cooperative said 112 miles of fiber will be run to the homes and businesses.
County Commissioner Steve Highlander was enthusiastic about the project, saying a lack of Internet service is one of the main complaints he receives from citizens in that area.
County Mayor Jim Coppinger said, even with this project, there will still be areas of the county without high-speed Internet, including parts of Sale Creek such as Leggett Road.
He said EPB had sought the ability to lay fiber over a wider area, but legislation to make that possible did not pass due to complaints from competitors such as Comcast.
The county mayor said he heard from a citizen "who built a $2 million home in the north part of the county, then was shocked that he couldn't get Internet."