CARES Act ReConnect Funding to Connect 878 Rural Households to HighSpeed Broadband
The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $16 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Mississippi. This investment is part of the $100 million in grant funding made available for the ReConnect Pilot Program through the CARES Act.
“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now – as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency. Access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “I am so proud of our rural communities who have been working day in and day out, just like they always do, producing the food and fiber America depends on. We need them more than ever during these trying times, and expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.”
In rural Mississippi, Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association will use a $16 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 2,082 people, 331 farms, 32 businesses, a post office, and six fire stations to high-speed broadband internet in Yalobusha, Tallahatchie, Panola, Grenada and Quitman counties.
USDA received 11 Round Two ReConnect Program applications that are eligible for the $100 million Congress allocated to the program through the CARES Act. More investments made possible with these resources will be announced in the coming weeks.
Governor Tate Reeves, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, and members of the Mississippi Public Service Commission joined a conference call announcing the award with Secretary of Agriculture Perdue.
“Never before have we had to rely so heavily on broadband capabilities to provide remote learning for schoolchildren, access to telehealth services, and perform remote business operations. And, the need will only increase,” Hyde-Smith said. “I am tremendously grateful to the USDA and the Administration for making this important investment in Mississippi, and to the Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association for carrying out this work to connect thousands of Mississippians, businesses and farms, to high-speed broadband.”
Background on the release from the USDA:
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.
On April 20, 2020, USDA announced the Department has received 172 applications for $1.57 billion in Round Two of the ReConnect Program. The second round will enable USDA to implement innovative new solutions to rural connectivity by leveraging financial options with our partners and continue the success of the first round of funding. The application window for round two closed on April 15.
In Round One of the ReConnect Program, USDA invested $744 million to bring highspeed broadband e-Connectivity to approximately 162,000 households, 22,000 rural small businesses and farms, and more than five hundred health care centers, educational facilities, and critical community facilities located in 34 states. To learn more about individual investments read USDA’s Broadband ReConnect Program report.
To learn more about ReConnect Program eligibility, technical assistance and recent announcements, visit www.usda.gov/reconnect.
