Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Department of Agriculture

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/04/24/biden-harris-administration…

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Biden-Harris Administration Partners with Local Organizations, Cooperatives and Tribes to Support High-Speed Internet Deployment in Rural Communities as Part of Investing in America Agenda

benton — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:37:46 +0000

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with rural cooperatives, local organizations and Tribes to support high-speed internet deployment in 11 states. USDA is awarding $5.2 million in cooperative agreements through the Broadband Technical Assistance Program, which is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This funding will extend the reach of other high-speed internet programs to meet the Administration’s goal to connect every community in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. The Broadband Technical Assistance Program provides funding to cooperatives and organizations interested in receiving or delivering broadband technical assistance and training. This program promotes the expansion of high-speed internet into rural and Tribal communities by funding feasibility studies, network designs, hiring efforts, application development assistance and more. The funding will help people living in Alaska, Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia. Examples of projects in this announcement include:

In the Southwest, Ciomperlik Enterprises LLC is receiving a $126,570 award to prepare reports, feasibility studies, financial forecasts, market surveys, environmental studies and technical design to expand high-speed internet access in 10 communities across Duval, Frio, Jim Hogg, La Salle and Zavala counties in Texas.
In the Midwest, the Curators of the University of Missouri is receiving a $191,038 award to support community planning, a broadband economic analysis study, an environmental study and a technical design study in Carter and Shannon counties in Missouri.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Connecting Alaska Consortium is receiving a $1 million award to deliver technical assistance and training to support planning and engagement, coordinating partnerships, grant-related training, and data collection and reporting. Funding will also support technical assistance and training conferences. The project will be used to promote and expand high-speed internet access in 122 rural and Tribal communities across Alaska.
In the South, the South Central Alabama Broadband Cooperative District is receiving a $820,000 award to perform community needs assessments and project planning, provide grant assistance, support construction planning and engineering and provide federal resource management and oversight in 45 communities across 15 counties in South Central Alabama.

A full list of projects from today’s announcement is available online.

Benton Content:

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USDA is awarding $5.2 million in cooperative agreements through the Broadband Technical Assistance Program

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Thu, 04/25/2024

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Daily Digest 4/24/2024

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Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Internet/Broadband

Universal Broadband

Legislation

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/03/12/biden-harris-administration…

Biden-Harris Administration Bringing High-Speed Internet, Clean Drinking Water and Modern Infrastructure to Tribal Communities

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:14:36 +0000

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is making investments to provide clean drinking water, sanitary wastewater systems and affordable high-speed internet to people in Tribal communities. Secretary Vilsack made this announcement at the one of the nation’s largest Tribal economic development conferences, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit (RES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. USDA is investing $58 million in Tribal communities in Nevada, Oklahoma and South Dakota. This funding will support economic development, high-speed internet deployment and modern infrastructure. The projects are being financed through the ReConnect Program and the Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands Program. Examples of these projects are:

The Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota received a $35 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to provide high-speed internet. This project will deliver high speed internet to 3,300 people, 47 businesses, 55 farms and seven educational facilities in Bennett and Oglala Lakota counties.
The Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma will use a $22 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to provide high-speed internet. This project will deliver high speed internet to nearly 2,000 people, 12 businesses and 100 farms in Le Flore County.

Benton Content:

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Announcements underscore USDA’s continued progress removing long-standing systemic barriers to accessing USDA’s programs by Tribal communities

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Wed, 03/13/2024

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Daily Digest 3/12/2024

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Tue, 03/12/2024

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Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

Internet/Broadband

Infrastructure

Affordability/Cost/Price

Universal Broadband

Legislation

Tribal

Individuals who are Members of a Racial or Ethnic Minority Group

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/02/21/biden-harris-administration…

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $770 Million for Rural Infrastructure Projects During Investing in America Tour

zwalker@benton.org — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:54:45 +0000

During a visit to Edgecombe County, NC, a Rural Partners Network community, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden announced that USDA is funding 216 projects in 45 states, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands to bring high-speed internet, clean water, state-of-the-art infrastructure and economic growth to rural communities as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda. USDA is investing in $51.7 million to expand access to high-speed internet for people in rural areas across the country through the Reconnect Program and the Broadband Technical Assistance Program. Under the Broadband Technical Assistance Program, USDA is providing $9.7 million to help 24 organizations deliver or receive technical assistance to expand high-speed internet access for people in rural and Tribal communities across 17 states. This funding will also develop and expand broadband cooperatives in rural areas. Awards will benefit people living in Alaska, California, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

Benton Content:

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Funding will bring high-speed internet, clean drinking water and modern infrastructure to more than one million people in rural communities

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Thu, 02/22/2024

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Daily Digest 2/21/2024

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Wed, 02/21/2024

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Rural America at a Glance

Rural America at a Glance (Department of Agriculture)

benton — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 22:33:43 +0000

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https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/11/15/fact-sheet-year-two-biparti…

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Daily Digest 11/15/2023

Year Two of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at USDA

benton — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 21:56:07 +0000

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been helping to close the digital divide in rural America by building, improving, and acquiring the facilities and equipment needed to deliver high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program. High-speed internet connects rural communities to jobs, telemedicine and distance learning, farmers with new technologies and the real-time information they need to stay competitive, and helps small businesses develop their markets. Since 2021, the Department of Agriculture has announced nearly $2.3 billion for ReConnect projects to expand high-speed internet access to hundreds of thousands of people through broadband loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations in 35 states. Examples include:

Public Service Telephone Company received a loan of more than $36 million to connect nearly 13,000 people, nearly 300 businesses, 261 farms and 16 educational facilities to high-speed internet in Georgia.
Pine Belt Telephone Company, Inc. received a loan/grant combination of nearly $50 million to connect nearly 16,000 people, 608 businesses, 52 educational facilities and 407 farms to high-speed internet in Alabama, including socially vulnerable communities.
Panhandle Telephone Cooperative, Inc. received a loan/grant combination award of more than $43 million to provide high-speed internet to nearly 1,300 people, 36 businesses, 696 farms and three educational facilities in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Scott County Telephone Cooperative received a $25 million grant to provide high-speed internet to socially vulnerable communities in Virginia, including more than 17,000 people, 1,018 businesses, 37 farms and 49 educational facilities.
USDA Rural Development is co-funding a Broadband Technical Assistance Pilot Cooperative Agreement to create one-stop technical assistance, and provide resources and support, to help Oregon communities leverage historic federal broadband investments.

Benton Content:

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Since 2021, USDA has announced nearly $2.3 billion for ReConnect projects

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Thu, 11/16/2023

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Daily Digest 11/15/2023

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Wed, 11/15/2023

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Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

National and State Level Estimates of WIC Eligibility and Program Reach in 2021

National and State Level Estimates of WIC Eligibility and Program Reach in 2021 (Department of Agriculture)

benton — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:13:56 +0000

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https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/h128nd689/4j03fg187/…

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Daily Digest 11/3/2023

2023 Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership) Report

Grace Tepper — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:58:18 +0000

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2023 Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership) report. According to USDA, 85 percent of farms reported having access to the internet nationally. In 2023, 32 percent of farms used the internet to purchase agricultural inputs, which was an increase of 3 percent from 2021. Additionally, 23 percent of farms used the internet to market agricultural activities, which was an increase of 2 percent from 2021. Farms which conducted business with non-agricultural websites in 2023 increased by 2 percent to 49 percent. In 2023, 51 percent of internet-connected farms utilized a broadband connection while 75 percent of internet-connected farms had access through a cellular data plan. Additionally, 69 percent of farms had a desktop or laptop computer while 82 percent of farms had a smartphone.

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USDA releaser its 2023 Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership) report.

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Mon, 11/06/2023

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Daily Digest 11/3/2023

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Fri, 11/03/2023

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Research

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/11/01/president-biden-announces-o…

Research

President Biden Announces Over $5 Billion to Support Rural Communities

benton — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 01:35:50 +0000

President Joe Biden announced over $5 billion in new investments from his Investing in America agenda—including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act—to advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability. $274 Million to Expand Critical Rural High-Speed Internet Infrastructure: the Department of Agriculture announced nearly $274 million across 16 grant and loan awards to expand access to high-speed internet for people living and working across eight states. These investments include $260 million as part of the fourth round of the ReConnect Program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. See list of awarded projects.

Benton Content:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/us/politics/biden-minnesota-rural-investments…

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$274 Million to Expand Critical Rural High-Speed Internet Infrastructure

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Thu, 11/02/2023

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Daily Digest 11/1/2023

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Wed, 11/01/2023

Coverage Type:

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/h128nd689/4j03fg187/…

Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership) August 2023

dclay@benton.org — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 15:55:03 +0000

Nationally, 85 percent of farms reported having access to the internet. In 2023, 51 percent of internet-connected farms utilized a broadband connection while 75 percent of internet-connected farms had access through a cellular data plan. Additionally, 69 percent of farms had a desktop or laptop computer while 82 percent of farms had a smartphone. In 2023, 32 percent of farms used the internet to purchase agricultural inputs, which was an increase of 3 percent from 2021. Additionally, 23 percent of farms used the internet to market agricultural activities, which was an increase of 2 percent from 2021. Farms which conducted business with non-agricultural websites in 2023 increased by 2 percent to 49 percent.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Only 51% of US farms use broadband to access the internet.

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