Biden administration announces $400 million investment in high-speed internet for rural communities

• The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it would direct more than $400 million in loans and grants to support high-speed internet projects.
• The funding is expected to reach approximately 31,000 families and businesses across 11 states. Additional programme funding announcements are expected throughout the summer. The White House announced on Thursday that 1 million American households have signed up for broadband internet credits through the Affordable Connectivity Program since the launch of GetInternet.gov in May.
• Additional funding for rural internet projects is expected to be made available next year through the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it would direct more than $400 million in loans and grants to rural communities to support high-speed internet projects, with funding expected to reach approximately 31,000 families and businesses across 11 states.

“Rural communities are the backbone of our nation and have a significant impact on our economy, but for far too long, rural communities have been left out or left behind, and their contributions have gone unnoticed. We’re changing that, and it starts with connecting rural communities to affordable, dependable high-speed internet “On a conference call with reporters, White House Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Coordinator Mitch Landrieu stated. “Our administration is providing more than $400 million in loans and grants to fund high-speed internet infrastructure for rural communities this week, thanks to the efforts of the President, (Agriculture Secretary Tom) Vilsack, and the USDA Rural Development team. ”
Many rural areas across the country lack access to high-speed, affordable internet, owing to the high cost of installing infrastructure that internet service providers are unwilling to take on. The USDA ReConnect loan and grant programme will provide funding for the new projects, which will be used to build, improve, and acquire facilities and equipment to support rural broadband access. Additional programme funding announcements are expected throughout the summer.
The $401 million in funding announced today will support 20 projects in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas, according to Vilsack.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to invest over a billion dollars in connecting people to a better and more modern future over the next several months,” he added, highlighting how connectivity will help farmers, expand access to telemedicine in remote areas, and expand access to distance learning opportunities.
On the call, Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto stated that a portion of the funding will go to projects in her state, including “$21.7 million to improve broadband access in rural Lovelock, Nevada.”

She claims that the project will connect 4,000 people, 130 businesses, 22 farms, and seven public schools in rural Nevada to high-speed internet.

The White House announced earlier this month that 1 million American households have signed up for broadband internet credits through the Affordable Connectivity Program since the launch of GetInternet.gov in May.
Eligible participants can receive a $30 monthly credit toward the cost of their internet service plan, or a $75 monthly credit for households living on Tribal lands, through the programme. According to the administration, 40 percent of American households are eligible for the credit.
The announcement on Thursday is the administration’s latest effort to highlight infrastructure projects that have been initiated since President Joe Biden took office.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, unlike the rural internet projects announced on Thursday, is funded by a provision of the massive bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year.
Many of the infrastructure projects funded by the bipartisan bill, such as new roads and bridges, will take time to complete due to planning and approval processes, as well as getting shovels in the ground. However, the Affordable Connectivity Program is a rare effort that provides nearly immediate and tangible benefits, providing the administration with a critical victory ahead of the November midterm elections.

Additional funding for rural internet projects is expected to be made available next year through the bipartisan infrastructure bill.