People living and working in rural parts of the country and in U.S. territories will soon be online thanks to a federal funding aimed at improving American's access to the internet.
According to an Oct. 27 U.S. Department of Agriculture news release, $759 million will go toward bringing high-speed internet access to 24 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.
"People living in rural towns across the nation need high-speed internet to run their businesses, go to school and connect with their loved ones," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release.
The money for the projects is a part of the larger $65 billion investment under President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aimed at bringing fast, dependable internet to communities across the country, the release stated.
Vilsack added the USDA is working with local governments, utilities and private companies to improve people's ability to connect to the internet. In the release, he said the agency was committed to ensuring people would be able to get online since "that's how you grow the economy — not just in rural communities, but across the nation."
According to the release, states and territories receiving funding include: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, Guam and Palau. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and utility authorities for Navajo Nation and Tohono O'odham Nation were also awarded money for internet projects.
