I think the most recent price is $68.99/ mo. 10gig is $299
It's a big county. You can live downtown. Suburban. Or quite rural all within access to the 'smart grid' / gig.
There were people I knew who moved to Kansas when Google installed fiber there because they wanted a lower cost of living and could work from anywhere if they had good internet service.
If someone wants a decent side hustle a service for finding places to live that have 1G+ internet + enough amenities for your typical engineering type might make decent bank with referral fees. Collecting all that into one location.
Making sure there's FTTH at at least 1gbps down / 200mbps up is key.
15k to move in a depressed area sounds like a dumb bribe attempt to me.
Such an awesome city, too. It's close to Atlanta and Charlotte, I just wish they'd fund the high speed rail network meant to connect the three cities.
It still gets floated from time to time (I recently saw high speed rail maps making the rounds).
IF/ when ATL > Chattanooga > Nashville are connected by a leg, it will absolutely change the region.
I have "heard" - completely so-and-so said - that much of the needed infrastructure exists. The key is repurposing existing rail lines and getting right of way.
I think there was a study commissioned that laid out the whole plan for a (3-5 stop) between downtown ATL and Nashville with a stop in Chattanooga.
My home Internet connections are 1 Gbps and 300 Mbps (2 links from 2 providers, I work from home and I need the uptime) for less than $10 each, but the transfer speeds are close to these numbers only for local servers, getting out of the country is about half these speeds.
That's about the only thing Wilkes county has going for it though. Well, that and housing costs that are much more affordable than most of the more touristy mountain counties nearby.
I'm forwarding this thread to some local leaders to see if we can get a similar relocation package here (Chattanooga, TN)