USDA Announces More Funding for Rural Broadband

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced nearly $247.9 million in funding for telecommunications projects that will improve broadband service to rural residents and businesses in 11 states.

This funding, which is part of the $690 million investment from USDA's Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program during fiscal year 2010, will finance over 16,000 miles of fiber to the home (FTTH), bringing high speed Internet service to rural areas.

Administered by USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), this infrastructure financing is in addition to the $3.5 billion in broadband funding RUS awarded for rural broadband projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The telecommunications infrastructure program funds facilities and equipment for upgrades, expansion, maintenance, and replacement of rural networks. RUS funded approximately $537 million in FTTH projects during fiscal year 2010.

The rural utilities that were selected for funding:

Alaska
Cordova Telephone Cooperative, Inc.; $10,750,000 loan

Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas Tel. Coop., Inc. $22,418,000 loan

Iowa
Interstate 35 Telephone Company $7,090,000 loan

Kansas
South Central Telephone Assoc., Inc. $10,215,000 loan

Minnesota
Garden Valley Telephone Company $34,177,000 loan

Montana
Central Montana Communications, Inc.; $38,793,000 loan
Southern Montana Telephone Company; $5,544,000 loan

Montana & Wyoming
Range Telephone Cooperative, Inc.; $18,000,000 loan

North Dakota
Reservation Telephone Cooperative $32,322,000 loan

New Mexico
Tularosa Basin Telephone Co., Inc.; $8,572,000 loan

South Dakota
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority; $37,870,000 loan

Wisconsin
Nelson Telephone Cooperative; $22,132,000 loan