The program is part of the infrastructure plan.
President Biden’s administration announced Thursday that it will allocate $401 million to provide access to high-speed internet for 31,000 rural residents and businesses in 11 states as part of the plan to expand access to the web.
White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu said, “Rural communities are the backbone of our nation and have a broad impact on our economy, but for too long, rural communities have been left out or left behind and under-recognized for their contributions. We’re changing that, and it starts with making sure that rural communities are connected to affordable, reliable high-speed internet. “
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us over the course of the next several months to roll out over a billion dollars of investment in connecting people to a better and more modern future,” he added, highlighting how connectivity will give support to farmers, expand access to telemedicine in remote areas and expand access to distance learning opportunities.
The $401 million in loans and grants comes from the ReConnect Program, a fund dispersed by the U.S. Agriculture Department. The USDA said this will support high-speed internet projects in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas. The program is aimed at the construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment to support rural broadband access.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Vilsack as he oversees the funding of the rural internet expansion program.
- For the president and his administration as infrastructure development plans are implemented in rural areas.
- For agricultural and rural communities who will be the recipients of these developments.
Sources: One America News, CNN
