US Department of Agriculture's Torres Small says defining ‘rural’ broadband is a challenge

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small warned changing the definition of what counts as “rural” broadband could negatively impact programs like the agency’s ReConnect initiative, resulting in a greater disparity between available funding and requests than already exists. The program currently defines rural as "any area that is not located in a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants or an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants." Small noted that what is considered “rural” is very different across the country and acknowledged that federal definitions like those used by ReConnect don’t always reflect that diversity. Small added that changing the definitions for existing programs will have consequences, stating, "We’ve also got to recognize that changes in eligibility would also impact who’s applying for the loans and grants and that the vast majority of our programs are oversubscribed," and that “conversations about eligibility also mean who’s competing for already limited funds. But it’s a huge need.”