Many rural areas across the country lack access to high-speed, affordable Internet, largely because installing the infrastructure isn’t worth the investment for ISPs. Funding for the new projects, which will come through USDA’s ReConnect loan and grant program, aims to build, improve and acquire facilities and equipment to support rural broadband access. Additional program funding announcements are expected over the summer. Vilsack said 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. “This is a huge opportunity for us over the next several months to invest more than a billion dollars in connecting people to a better and more modern future,” he added, highlighting how connectivity will support farmers and expanding access to telemedicine in remote areas and expanding access to distance education opportunities. Nevada Democratic Sen. Kathryn Cortez Masto said on the call 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.” The project, he said, will connect about 4,000 people, 130 businesses, 22 farms and seven public schools across the state of Nevada with high-speed internet. Earlier this month, the White House announced that 1 million American households have signed up for broadband Internet credits through the Affordable Connectivity Program since the introduction of GetInternet.gov in May. Through the program, 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. The administration estimates that a staggering 40% of American households are eligible for the credit. Thursday’s announcement marks the administration’s latest effort to highlight the infrastructure projects that have been pushed since President Joe Biden took office. Unlike the rural Internet projects announced Thursday, the Affordable Connectivity Program is funded through a provision of the massive bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year. It will take some time for many of the infrastructure projects funded by the bipartisan bill — new roads and bridges, for example — to fully come to fruition because of the planning and approval and shovel-in-the-ground processes. But the Affordable Connectivity Program is a rare effort that delivers almost immediate and tangible benefits, a critical victory the government can claim ahead of November’s midterm elections. Additional funding through the bipartisan Infrastructure Act for rural Internet projects is expected to roll out next year. CNN’s Betsy Klein and Katie Lobosco contributed to this report.
