ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
Industry Representatives to House Agriculture Committee: USDA Should Handle Rural Broadband
Six representatives from the broadband and satellite industries testified at a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the digital divide, or the lack of some digital services in rural America. Committee Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) asked the witnesses if the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was the right agency to handle the issue of rural broadband. “They know rural America. They prioritize issues that matter in rural America in their broadband funding in terms of rurality or low population density. That’s one of the criteria they look at.
Representative Nunn, Bipartisan Members Introduce Bill To Improve Rural Broadband Access
Rep Zach Nunn (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve access to high-quality, affordable broadband in rural communities. The ReConnecting Rural America Act—cosponsored by Reps Angie Craig (D-MN), Darin LaHood (R-IL), and Eric Sorensen (D-IL)—makes improvements to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect Program, which offers loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations facilitating broadband deployment in areas of rural America that currently do not have sufficient access to broadband. The ReConnecting Rural America Act strengthens the USDA ReConnect Program by:
Committee Approves FY24 Subcommittee Allocations
The House Appropriations Committee met to consider the Fiscal Year 2024 subcommittee allocations. The measure was approved by the Committee with a vote of 33 to 27. The measure provides $260 million in ReConnect funding.
Broadband Associations Share ReConnect Wish List for Farm Bill Anticipated by September 2023
If provider associations are successful in their advocacy, the next Farm Bill will end the need for ReConnect broadband funding to be reappropriated every year. The ReConnect program covers some of the costs of deploying broadband to unserved areas. Farm bills are an every-five-year occurrence and the current bill is due to expire later in 2023. Fortunately, the farm bill typically has bipartisan support and usually passes both chambers, noted NTCA (The Rural Broadband Association) Director o
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $700 Million to Connect People in Rural Areas to High-Speed Internet
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $714 million in grants and loans to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers, and business owners in 19 states to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The announcement includes $714 million in USDA investments in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington. Some examples include:
Federal Broadband Funding Report: These Agencies Are Funding Internet for All
On May 8, 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth released its second annual report
Vermont Congressional Delegation Announces First USDA ReConnect Grant to Vermont
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) announced that NEK Community Broadband (NEKCB) will receive Vermont’s first-ever United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties in Vermont.
Senators Welch and Marshall Introduce ReConnecting Rural America Act to Expand Access to Broadband in Rural Communities
Sens Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced the bipartisan ReConnecting Rural America Act, legislation to reauthorize and reinforce the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.
Reps. Cammack, Soto, Jackson, Perez Introduce Rural Internet Improvement Act Of 2023
Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL), Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL), Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-TX), and Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) introduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act of 2023. The Rural Internet Improvement Act eliminates duplicative broadband programs at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) by merging and codifying the popular Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect) with USDA's broadband loan and grant program.
