USDA Invests $14 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Illinois

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $14 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Illinois. This investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program. Jo-Carroll Energy Inc. will use a $14 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network, which will connect 7,629 people, 378 farms, 150 businesses, eight public schools, three fire stations, two post offices and two museums to high-speed broadband internet in Jo Daviess, Carroll, Whiteside and Stephenson counties in Illinois.