US offers US$103 mil grant for rural broadband expansion

The US Department of Agriculture, through its Community Connect Programme, will offer US$103 million for projects aimed at bringing broadband services to rural communities in the country, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced.

The money will go toward 23 projects in areas including parts of Oklahoma damaged by a tornado earlier this year and a mountainous region in Northern California, which will provide internet access to native tribes.

“Without broadband, rural communities, agricultural producers and business owners face a substantial challenge,” Vilsack said.

These loans and grants will bring the benefits of broadband, including new educational, business and public health and safety opportunities, to residents living in some of the most remote parts of our Nation,” he added.

The Community Connect programme provides grants to rural, economically challenged communities.

In addition to the Community Connect grants, Secretary Vilsack has announced US$90 million in loan funding for five broadband infrastructure projects.

The infrastructure loans announced are in addition to US$192 million in loans the department announced earlier this year, through the Rural Development’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Programme.

Funds can be used to construct, acquire or lease facilities to deploy broadband to community facilities such as schools and public safety buildings, as well as residents and businesses in the community.

Each project requires a matching contribution and must serve an area where broadband is not available.

The grantee must agree to provide local community centres in the selected towns with at least 10 computers which are accessible free for two years.

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