(Des Moines) To continue connecting rural families, business owners and agricultural producers to reliable, affordable high-speed internet, USDA is making several improvements to the program in ReConnect Round 5. This will further increase funding in rural areas where residents and businesses lack access to affordable high-speed internet.
A total of $700 million is available across four funding categories:
- Loans of up to $200 million are available.
- Loan/grant packages of up to $200 million are available.
- Grants of up to $150 million are available.
- Grants of up to $150 million are available to serve Alaska Native corporations, tribal governments, colonies, areas of persistent poverty and socially disadvantaged communities.
USDA is making several programmatic improvements to this round of funding. For example:
- USDA will award priority points to applications proposing to serve areas in states with the highest concentration of Unserved Broadband Service Locations (UBSL).
- Organizations that are able to meet the robust financial test, including Tribes, will have an enhanced ability to streamline the required elements in their ReConnect applications.
- At least 90% of households in the proposed service area must lack adequate high-speed Internet access, which is now defined as fixed terrestrial high-speed Internet at 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload.
In part, these improvements will continue to ensure that the Biden-Harris administration achieves its goal of Internet for All. Additionally, the changes increase funding in the hardest-to-reach rural areas, where residents and businesses lack access to affordable high-speed internet.
Applications must be submitted electronically through the application system at usda.gov/reconnect by 10:59 a.m. on May 21.
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