Posted on Aug 17, 2021
The USDA Is Helping Expand Rural Broadband, But Providers Face Equipment Shortages
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing millions of dollars to expand broadband in rural areas, but rural internet providers are facing shortages and long waits for equipment.
The USDA is allocating $167 million in grants and loans to broadband providers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, Georgia, North Dakota, Arizona, Alaska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia in the latest round of the ReConnect program. The funds are part of $550 million Congress provided for the program in 2020 and 2021.
The Senate sent a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $65 billion for broadband expansion, to the House this week.
Broadband providers already are having a hard time getting equipment. Shirley Bloomfield, the CEO of the National Rural Broadband Association, says providers says that they can’t get 30-40% of the needed equipment to install broadband. This includes fiber, which she says companies are waiting up to 71 weeks to be delivered.
The USDA is allocating $167 million in grants and loans to broadband providers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, Georgia, North Dakota, Arizona, Alaska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia in the latest round of the ReConnect program. The funds are part of $550 million Congress provided for the program in 2020 and 2021.
The Senate sent a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $65 billion for broadband expansion, to the House this week.
Broadband providers already are having a hard time getting equipment. Shirley Bloomfield, the CEO of the National Rural Broadband Association, says providers says that they can’t get 30-40% of the needed equipment to install broadband. This includes fiber, which she says companies are waiting up to 71 weeks to be delivered.
The USDA Is Helping Expand Rural Broadband, But Providers Face Equipment Shortages
Posted from harvestpublicmedia.org
USDA
Agriculture
Farming
Technology
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel China is putting the squeeze on the U.S. in many ways. Maybe the U.S. should start making their own supplies. Corporations who have moved their factories overseas, for higher profits, are as much to blame as the government letting them without an import tax of their product.
...“Every rural area in the country at the end of the day needs to be connected regardless of what state they're in,” Vilsack says. “We can't just let someone's zip code be a determinant of whether or not they have access to this technology.”...
...“Every rural area in the country at the end of the day needs to be connected regardless of what state they're in,” Vilsack says. “We can't just let someone's zip code be a determinant of whether or not they have access to this technology.”...
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