FORT YATES, N.D., Oct. 17, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden today announced $25M in grant funding to connect rural residents, farmers and business owners in the Dakotas to high-speed internet.
Projects are being financed by the fifth round of the ReConnect Program and are a central part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild the economy.
“Keeping the people of rural America connected with reliable, high-speed internet brings new and innovative ideas to the rest of our country and creates good-paying jobs,” Under Secretary Gooden said. “Thanks to USDA’s ReConnect Program, we are connecting the most rural and remote communities to a global marketplace. The investments we are announcing today will drive economic security and rural prosperity for generations to come.”
Under Secretary Gooden made today’s announcement with Erin Oban, State Director of USDA Rural Development in North Dakota, during a visit to Standing Rock Telecommunications Inc. in North Dakota, which is receiving a more than $22 million grant. This project will benefit 426 people, 16 businesses, 104 farms and three schools in Sioux County, North Dakota and Corson County, South Dakota.
“Access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet is no longer considered a luxury, and yet, there are still places and people here in North Dakota that lack that access to support their businesses, their schoolwork, and their ability to connect to others,” said Oban. “That’s why the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included federal funds to fill those gaps, and that’s exactly why Standing Rock Telecom is receiving this award – to improve and enhance that essential service of high-speed internet to people who remain under- or unserved.”
The ReConnect Program is uniquely designed to fund the most difficult high-speed internet projects in the nation, which are in the most rural, remote and unserved communities.
Many residents and businesses in rural areas would not have high-speed internet service without the ReConnect Program, as the program is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for All initiative to connect everyone in America to high-speed internet by 2030.
Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department has invested more than $4 billion for 345 ReConnect projects that will bring high-speed internet access to more than 600,000 people in the most rural and remote areas of America.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and healthcare; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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