The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allocated $714 million in grants and loans to provide reliable and affordable high-speed internet to rural residents, farmers and business owners in 19 states.
USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack made the announcement in a June 12 press release, saying "(h)igh-speed internet is key to prosperity for people who live and work in rural communities.” The announced grants are the fourth round of funding through the ReConnect Loan and Grant Program, which supports construction, improvement or purchase of equipment and facilities necessary for broadband service in rural areas.
"Connecting all communities across the United States to high-speed internet is a central part of President [Joe] Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our economy from the bottom up and middle out by rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure," USDA states in the release, "which is driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing investments and creating good-paying jobs."
The Investing in America agenda allocated $65 billion to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to connect everyone in the U.S. to high-speed internet through the Internet for All initiative, according to the release.
The states slated to receive this round of funding are Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Washington, the release reports. The funding will support programs and initiatives in the states that will connect thousands of people, businesses, farms and educational facilities to high-speed internet services in the funded areas, according to the release.
Through the ReConnect Program, the USDA has invested in 142 projects since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, benefiting 314,000 rural Americans, the release reports.
To be eligible for the ReConnect Program funding, applicants must serve rural areas without access to high-speed internet, the release states. They must commit to building facilities capable of providing speeds of 100 Mbps to every location in the proposed service area. Additionally, awardees are required to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which offers discounted internet service to qualifying low-income households.
“Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can ensure that rural communities have access to the internet connectivity needed to continue to expand the economy from the bottom up and middle out and to make sure rural America remains a place of opportunity to live, work, and raise a family,” Vilsack said in the release.
