U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Florida State Director Lakeisha Hood Moїse announced today that USDA is partnering with IBT Group USA LLC to promote the expansion of high-speed internet in 10 communities across DeSoto County.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are working to ensure that people, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed internet,” Hood Moїse said. “Reliable high-speed internet brings new opportunities to people in rural America and makes it easier for them to share innovative ideas with the rest of the country.”
USDA is awarding $325,923 to IBT Group USA LLC through the Broadband Technical Assistance Program to study existing barriers to broadband access in DeSoto County, design feasible networks to expand broadband access, and create a strategic plan to target resources to finance broadband facilities.
The Broadband Technical Assistance Program provides funding to cooperatives and organizations interested in receiving or delivering broadband technical assistance and training. This program promotes the expansion of high-speed internet into rural and Tribal communities by funding feasibility studies, network designs, hiring efforts, application development assistance and more.
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