USDA Invests $5 Million in Broadband for Rural Georgia Communities

The US Department of Agriculture invested $5 million in two, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 1,221 rural households, 32 pre-subscribed businesses and 20 pre-subscribed farms in McIntosh and Evans counties in Georgia. The Darien Telephone Company will use a $1 million ReConnect Program grant to expand high-speed internet service to underserved households and businesses in McIntosh County, using Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology. The project’s service area includes 257 households, 17 pre-subscribed businesses and a critical community facility. The Pembroke Telephone Company will use a $2 million ReConnect Program grant and a $2 million ReConnect Program loan to build an FTTP network to provide high-speed internet to residents, businesses and farms in Evans County. The project’s service area includes 964 households, 20 pre-subscribed farms and 15 pre-subscribed businesses.