The American Rescue Plan Act § 602 provides a total of $350 billion to eligible states, territories, and tribal governments. Funds are available until 2024 and are to be used for “necessary investments” in “water, sewer, broadband infrastructure.” Of that $350 billion, the total allocated to Missouri is $5.475 billion (combining the allocations at the…
NTIA’s Broadband Infrastructure Program was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. In the priority order defined by the Act, NTIA will accept applications for projects that are designed to: Provide broadband service to the greatest number of households in an eligible service area; Provide broadband service in an eligible service area that is wholly…
The ReConnect Program offers unique federal financing and funding options in the form of loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that don’t currently have sufficient access to broadband, defined by the law as 10 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. This program will generate…
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings. For more information,…
The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. For example, this program can link teachers and medical service providers in one area to students and patients in another. For more…
This program offers financial assistance to eligible broadband providers that will construct, improve, or expand telecommunication and broadband networks in rural areas. There are three types of available loans: Cost-of-Money loans are direct loans from USDA Rural Utilities Service; Loan Guarantees through the Federal Financing Bank (FFB); and Hardship loans from the USDA Rural Utilities…
The Rural Economic Development Loan (REDL) and Grant (REDG) programs provide funding to rural projects through local utility organizations. Under the REDLoan program, USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities, which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients), for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. The ultimate recipients…