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Illinois Ag News Headlines |
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$3.4 Million for Broadband for Rural Illinois Communities
Illinois Ag Connection - 02/18/2020
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Illinois State Director Douglas Wilson announced USDA is investing $3.4 million to create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 603 rural households, 12 farms and a business in Hamilton County. This high-speed broadband infrastructure project is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA's ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
"High-speed broadband is critical for the prosperous future of rural communities," Wilson said. "It is essential for economic development and improved access to health care and educational resources. President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue have made the deployment of this much-needed service a priority. I congratulate Hamilton County Telephone Cooperative on this award and look forward to seeing more communities get access to this vital infrastructure."
Hamilton County Telephone Cooperative Corporation Inc. will replace copper wire with fiber-optic cable wire. The upgrade will benefit 146 customers in the area. The company provides broadband internet access, entertainment video and voice services to 1,600 customers over approximately 467 square miles.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called "ReConnect," including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload.
In December 2019, Agriculture Secretary Perdue announced USDA will be making available an additional $550 million in ReConnect funding in 2020. USDA has available up to $200 million for grants, up to $200 million for 50/50 grant/loan combinations, and up to $200 million for low-interest loans. The application window for this round of funding opened on Jan. 31, 2020. Applications for all funding products will be accepted in the same application window, which will close on March 16, 2020.
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