As farming advances, there’s a rising need for better connectivity on the farm. Yet the cost of bringing high-speed web service to rural areas is prohibitive for many companies and communities.

In 2018, Congress provided USDA with $600 million to expand broadband infrastructure in rural America. Later that year Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue launched ReConnect with the offer of loans and grants for those projects.

The ReConnect program initially received requests for $1.4 billion in spending, and now USDA is awarding monies for projects. Funding can come in three ways — a 100% grant, a 100% loan or a loan-grant combination; the agency is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. For the West, three states got news recently of support for projects. Here’s a look at these early announcements from USDA.

Washington project

An early awardee under the ReConnect pilot program is Washington state, where Kirk Pearson of USDA Rural Development announced the agency was investing $2.4 million in high-speed infrastructure. This project will create or improve connectivity for about 250 households in rural Mason County in the southwest part of the state.

Pearson notes that USDA recognizes the value of this effort to ensure that rural America has affordable, high-speed broadband. “The ReConnect pilot program is helping to satisfy our mandate to improve the quality of life of all rural residents by improving their access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity.”

Mason Public Utility District 3, based in Shelton, Wash., will use the program grant to provide high-speed broadband to the unserved Grapeview community. The Three Fingers Rural Broadband Fiber Project will provide middle-mile and last-mile fiber-optic service to each premises within the target area.

Big Utah high-speed program

In Utah, Donald “DJ” LaVoy, USDA Rural Development deputy undersecretary, visited Big Run Ranches to announce a $23.6 million investment in high-speed broadband infrastructure. The investment will fund building an all-fiber network to serve more than 3,000 farms, businesses and homes spread over more than 400 square miles in rural Duchesne and Uintah counties.

UBTA-Ubet Communications Inc., doing business as Strata Networks, will use an $11.8 million ReConnect loan and an $11.8 million ReConnect grant to expand high-speed broadband connectivity within the Uintah Basin, including Ute Indian tribe communities on the Uintah and Ouray reservation. The company, headquartered in Roosevelt, Utah, was founded in 1948 to serve rural residents in the Uintah Basin.

Fast connections in Montana

In Montana, residents got word of a $3.3 million investment in broadband infrastructure from USDA Charles Robison, USDA Rural Development state director; and Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont. This project will create and improve rural connectivity for 142 homes, businesses, farms and ranches in Beaverhead County.

Southern Montana Telephone Co. will use a $3.3 million ReConnect program grant to construct a fiber-to-the-home network in Beaverhead County. The 1,688-square-mile service area includes 109 households, 26 farms and ranches, seven businesses and the Grant Fire Station.

Funding application deadline March 16

In December, Perdue announced USDA will be making an additional $550 million in ReConnect funding available in 2020. USDA will make 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 Jan. 31. Applications for all funding products will be accepted in the same application window, which will close no later than March 16.

Source: USDA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.