White County now a certified Broadband Ready Community

White County is officially a certified Georgia Broadband Ready Community.

The certificate was presented during the Oct. 4 meeting of the White County Board of Commissioners by Georgia Department of Community Affairs Region 2 Representative Kathy Papa.

“You all have taken steps to incorporate broadband in your comprehensive process, eliminate obstacles at the local level and acknowledge and demonstrate that it takes local leadership to solve this ongoing need,” Papa said. “The Broadband Ready Community designation reflects that White County is committed to improving the reliability, speed and capacity of internet connections for businesses, residents and visitors to the county.”

County Chairman Travis Turner said the certification will be another marketing tool for the community.

“We recognize as a community and as a board of commissioners that broadband internet connectivity is another utility,” he said. “It’s just like water, sewage and electricity. You have to have that in today’s world of competition when it comes to business and/or people relocating.”

Turner also thanked Community and Economic Development Director John Sell for his work toward obtaining the designation and ongoing plans to expand highspeed broadband internet service.

Sell said being a Georgia Broadband Ready Community will help when applying for federal and state funding opportunities for broadband. He mentioned some of the steps county officials have taken to work with providers to foster such growth.

“It’s another tool in our toolkit that helps us, and it tells our providers that we’re ready to work with them,” Sell said.