NEEDLES, Calif., Oct. 22, 2024 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting Deputy Under Secretary Lillian Salerno joined Fort Mojave Tribal Chairman Tim Williams and Fort Mojave Telecommunications today at a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate progress on high-speed internet expansion projects in Needles, California, and the Mohave Valley of Arizona.
“Reliable internet connection is integral to uplifting our rural communities and ensuring they stay connected,” said Salerno. “The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to fund high-speed internet projects like Fort Mojave Telecommunications through our ReConnect program.”
Fort Mojave Telecommunications was awarded $7 million under Round 3 of USDA Rural Development’s ReConnect Program in 2022 to improve high-speed internet service to people in Needles. The ceremony today celebrated new work to be completed in the Mohave Valley area of Arizona, supported by a $13.5 million loan-grant combination ReConnect Round 4 award. Once complete, these projects will provide fiber-to-the-premises internet access to rural residents in California and Arizona that would otherwise be unserved, allowing them better access to health care, economic, entrepreneurial, and educational opportunities.
“Many rural communities would not have access to high-speed internet service without the ReConnect Program and would miss out on the economic development opportunities that come with this digital access,” said California Rural Development State Director Maria Gallegos Herrera. “This investment to bring high-speed internet to the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe shows the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to rural and Tribal communities.”
“This ReConnect investment supports the ongoing project to bring high-speed internet to the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe,” said Arizona Rural Development State Director Charlene Fernandez. “The Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promise to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet by 2030. This project exemplifies the commitment to support rural and remote community access to economic opportunities in today’s digital world economy.”
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. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, 2.4 million American homes and small businesses have been connected to high-speed internet for the first time, and USDA has invested more than $4 billion in 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 health care; 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.