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Tennessee BEAD funding

Tennessee's BEAD final proposal covers 43,871 locations. 33,420 of them (76.2%) are slated for fiber to the premises, which ranks Tennessee #26 of 51 for fiber locations. The deployment cost is $201.9 million against an original allocation of $813.3 million.

Allocation
$813.3 million
Deployment cost
$201.9 million
Locations
43,871
Fiber locations
33,420

Technology mix

Fiber to the premises33,42076.2%
Hybrid fiber-coax (cable)5,33712.2%
Low earth orbit satellite5,11411.7%

Who won BEAD money in Tennessee

16 providers, largest grant first. The ones building fiber or cable are the ones hiring construction crews.

5,725 locations · Fiber · provider match $47.7 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 773 mi buried + 366 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
5,337 locations · Cable (HFC) · provider match $32.0 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 450 mi buried + 300 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
1,997 locations · Fiber · provider match $6.6 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 595 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
1,771 locations · Fiber · provider match $18.1 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 75 mi buried + 470 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
ZiTEL
$18.0 million
6,731 locations · Fiber · provider match $44.5 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 1,299 mi buried + 194 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
2,758 locations · Fiber · provider match $14.9 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 45 mi buried + 538 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
7,681 locations · Fiber · provider match $3.9 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 3 mi buried + 479 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
2,833 locations · Fiber · provider match $8.8 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 845 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
1,754 locations · Fiber · provider match $11.6 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 69 mi buried + 275 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
583 locations · Fiber · provider match $1.3 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 164 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
432 locations · Fiber · provider match $2.2 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 102 mi buried fiber (state estimate)
517 locations · Fiber · provider match $3.2 million · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 6 mi buried + 184 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
4,058 locations · Satellite (LEO) · provider match $806,000 · est. completion September 30, 2029
149 locations · Fiber · provider match $791,694 · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 57 mi buried + 24 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
489 locations · Fiber · provider match $550,017 · est. completion September 30, 2029 · about 81 mi aerial fiber (state estimate)
1,056 locations · Satellite (LEO) · provider match $2.6 million · est. completion September 30, 2029

Source: Tennessee ECD Broadband Office, BEAD Final Proposal data upload (approved) (NTIA approved 2026-02-02). Summed per provider from Tennessee's approved data upload. Grants total $201,902,730.51 and locations 43,871, both matching NTIA. Tennessee's anchor-institution file is empty, so locations are homes and businesses only. Provisional awards can change as the state finalizes agreements.

What it means for contractors

Fiber locations are the ones that turn into construction: underground and aerial placement, boring, splicing, drops, and restoration. The providers that won these areas build them, often with subcontractors. Check the Tennessee broadband office's BEAD page for the providers selected in each area. Those providers, and the primes they hire, are who to call about sub work.

Tennessee BEAD officeNTIA state pageFinal proposal overview (PDF)Tennessee 811 rules

Fiber work in Tennessee on the board

No open fiber posts in Tennessee right now. Post work or list your crew, both free.

Fiber crews that work in Tennessee

Defined Construction LLC
Available now
Herriman, UT · Works in ME, PA, VA, DE, GA, FL…
Underground fiber and conduitLand clearing and mulchingCrew of 12 Insured
Mainline conduitVibratory cable plowingOpen trench conduitHandholes and vaults+3 more
Broadband infrastructure solutions inc
Available now
Boca Raton, FL · Works in AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC…
Underground fiber and conduitDirectional drillingAerial fiber and strandFiber splicing and testingCrew of 5

Source: NTIA, final proposal overview updated February 2, 2026. NTIA marks these figures subject to change pending final review. All states.