USDA is investing in e-connectivity to provide virtual access to job training, educational and health care opportunities for rural communities.

“Under Secretary Perdue’s leadership, USDA is committed to being a strong partner in creating rural prosperity,” said Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett. “Connecting rural Americans to quality education and health care services is an innovative and important tool in our efforts to facilitate economic growth, job creation and quality of life in rural America.” 

USDA is awarding 72 grants totaling $23.6 million through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. This program invests in equipment that uses broadband to help rural communities connect to educational and health care services. These vital services are part of the foundation of a high quality of life and enable communities to overcome the effects of remoteness and low population density by connecting them to the rest of the world through high-speed internet.

The grants are supporting projects based in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

Several recipients will use the grants to help address two of the nation’s most urgent needs:

Here are a few examples of projects USDA is supporting this year: 

Source: USDA