TATITLEK, Alaska, Oct. 17, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director Julia Hnilicka announced a nearly $17 million investment to bring reliable high-speed internet to rural Alaskan communities, residents, fishermen, kelp farmers, and local small business owners. Funded through the fifth round of the ReConnect Program, these projects align with President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to strengthen the economy.
“This investment is about more than just connecting Alaskans to the internet; It’s about opening doors to opportunity,” Hnilicka said. “Reliable high-speed internet means remote communities can stay connected to essential services.
Hnilicka highlighted Copper Valley Telephone Cooperative Inc., which is receiving more than $16.5 million grant. This project will benefit 140 people in the Chugach Census Area, serving the Tatitlek Alaska Native Village Statistical Area. 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.
The ReConnect Program is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for All initiative, aiming to connect all Americans to high-speed internet by 2030. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested nearly $500 million in 22 ReConnect projects, bringing high-speed internet to rural and remote areas across Alaska.
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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