STEVENS POINT, Wis., Dec. 18, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Julie Lassa today announced that USDA will provide a $4,614,709 grant and $4,614,709 loan to the Bloomer Telephone Company, which is located in Chippewa County.
“For too long, too many people in rural communities have not been able to benefit from critical infrastructure like high-speed internet. That’s why projects, like the one I am announcing today, are important for rural communities and the people who live there.” said Lassa. “USDA’s investments in high-speed infrastructure expand educational opportunities for students, enable access to medical care without leaving home, and connect businesses to new customers and markets.”
This Rural Development investment will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to provide high-speed internet. This network will benefit 1,278 people, 32 businesses and 73 farms in Chippewa and Dunn counties.
Today’s announcement is part of a national announcement being made today that USDA will provide more than $313 million in funding today to connect rural residents, farmers and business owners in 18 states to reliable high-speed internet. The investments will connect people to high-speed internet in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
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.
The ReConnect Program is specifically 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. 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 approximately $4.4 billion for 360 ReConnect awards that will bring high-speed internet access to more than 680,000 people in the most rural and remote areas of America. More than $2.2 billion of this funding, which will benefit an estimated 341,000 people, was made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
A full list of projects from today’s announcement is available online.
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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