Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday announced nearly $700 million in grants and loans as part of USDA’s ReConect Program.
The funding will connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in 22 states to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. Vilsack says, “Keeping the people of rural America connected with reliable, high-speed internet brings new and innovative ideas to the rest of our country and creates good-paying jobs along the way.”
The high-speed internet investments are part of the fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program. Many residents and businesses in rural areas would not have high-speed internet service without the ReConnect Program, as the program is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for All initiative to connect everyone in America to high-speed internet by 2030. Funding for this round of grants comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and includes $667 million of funded projects.
A full list of funded projects is available on USDA’s Rural Development website. Visit them online at https://rd.usda.gov.
