USDA is investing nearly $3 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas of southeast Missouri. This investment is part of the $100 million in grant funding made available for the ReConnect Pilot Program through the CARES Act.

In rural Missouri, Big River Broadband will use a $2.9 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 4,839 people, 54 farms, 27 businesses, two public schools and one fire station to high-speed broadband internet in Cape Girardeau County.

“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now — as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a news release. “Access to telehealth services, remote learning for schoolchildren, and remote business operations all require access to broadband.” He added that “expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.”

CARES Act funding

USDA received 11 Round 2 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.

In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, 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.

ReConnect program working

On April 20, USDA announced the department received 172 applications for $1.57 billion in Round 2 of the ReConnect program. The second round will enable USDA to implement innovative new solutions to rural connectivity by leveraging financial options with its partners and continuing the success of the first round of funding. The application window for Round 2 closed April 15.

In Round 1 of the ReConnect program, USDA invested $698 million to bring high-speed broadband e-connectivity to about 167,000 households; 17,000 rural small businesses and farms; and more than 500 health care centers, educational facilities, and critical community facilities located in 33 states.

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