No community left behind

When I first took office, President Donald Trump directed me to lead the Rural Prosperity Task Force, a team of federal, state and local leaders focused on improving the lives of those who live in rural America. The task force’s top takeaway was how critical access to broadband is in rural communities. I always say, investing in the expansion of rural broadband is as vital as the rural electric and telephone networks were decades ago. It’s time to reignite a passion for connectivity and work to bring broadband to every small town and piece of farm land across our nation. Of the 21 million Americans that lack high-speed broadband internet access, 80% are in rural areas and on tribal lands. When Americans are connected to high-speed internet, productivity and prosperity skyrocket. This task of providing rural Americans with broadband is of the highest importance for President Trump and his administration. We started accepting applications in April 2019 for the new ReConnect Broadband Pilot Program and there was an overwhelming response. In just three months, USDA received 146 applications requesting more than $1.4 billion. That’s double the amount we have available for this first round of funding to connect more than 2,750 farms and 2,575 rural businesses to this critical infrastructure. As we continue to announce the first round of recipients, USDA will look for ways we can be better partners to community leaders.