USDA awards $22M to rural Minnesota, Iowa communities for high-speed internet access

By KAALTV
Courtesy: MGN / Pixabay

(ABC 6 News) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that they are awarding $22 million in loan and grants to provide high-speed internet access for rural Minnesota and Iowa residents and businesses.

Funding is provided through the ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s $64 billion commitment to invest in rural infrastructure and provide reliable, affordable, high-speed internet for all across the U.S.

Minnesota and Iowa counties that will benefit from the funding:

  • Winnebago Cooperative Telephone Association will use a $25.1 million loan/grant combination to deploy a fiber-to-the-home network that will connect 3,597 people, 80 businesses and 458 farms to high-speed internet in Freeborn County.
  • Spring Grove Communications will use a $11.4 million loan/grant combination to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network that will connect 983 people, 42 businesses, and 122 farms to high-speed internet in Houston County, Minnesota and Allamakee and Winneshiek counties in Iowa.  
  • Upsala Cooperative Telephone Association will use a $6.6 million loan/grant combination to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network that will connect 1,595 people, 32 businesses, 101 farms, and one educational facility to high-speed internet in Morrison, Stearns, and Todd counties.

All of the funding recipients will help to make high-speed internet even more affordable by also participating in the Affordable Connectivity and Lifeline programs administered through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The ReConnect Program furnishes loans and grants to provide funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service to eligible rural areas.

To be eligible for ReConnect Program funding, an applicant must serve an area where high-speed internet service speeds are lower than 100 megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 20 Mbps (upload). The applicant must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service at speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in its proposed service area.

For more information on the USDA announcement, CLICK HERE.