U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development state director in Missouri, Kyle Wilkens, announced $84.6 million in grants and loans to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in rural Missouri to reliable, affordable high-speed internet.
"The ReConnect program helps to build high-speed internet infrastructure connecting small business owners to customers and markets in other parts of the state, around the country, and worldwide," said Wilkens. "It also expands educational opportunities for students and enables rural households to access medical care, particularly to specialists, without leaving their homes. For too long, many rural communities in Missouri have been left out of the digital economy. High-speed internet is now the lynchpin for rural communities to grow. For farmers in rural communities, a fast-growing market of smart technology designed specifically for agriculture can give them real-time access to vital information from sensors placed around their land holdings. The ReConnect program is allowing our rural communities and producers to keep up with the ever-evolving need for high-speed internet.
Under President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $65 billion to connect everyone to high-speed internet through the Internet for All initiative. USDA is connecting more people to high-speed internet in this fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department has invested in 142 ReConnect projects that will bring high-speed internet access to 314,000 rural Americans.
Investments being highlighted today include:
Goodman Telephone Company Inc. will connect nearly 7,000 people, 206 farms, 140 businesses and two educational facilities to high-speed internet in McDonald and Newton counties.
Source: nwaonline.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages-shotbydave
Categories: Missouri, Business, Rural Lifestyle