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Another round of funding for USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced a USDA investment of $9 million in four high-speed broadband infrastructure projects in Tennessee.  These investments will create or improve rural e-connectivity for more than 3,700 rural households, 31 businesses, 41 farms, and a community facility.

This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of the USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments. 

Perdue says the core mission of USDA is to increase rural prosperity through boosting economic opportunity in rural America and rural communities need robust, modern infrastructure to thrive, and that includes access to high-speed internet.

The projects include:

Ben Lomand Holdings Inc. will use a $2.2 million ReConnect Program grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to rural northeastern Cumberland County. The funded service areas include 222 households, six pre-subscribed businesses and three pre-subscribed farms spread over 100 square miles.

North Central Communications Inc. will use a $1.4 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to residents and businesses in rural Smith County. The funded service areas include 164 households, 10 pre-subscribed businesses and 21 pre-subscribed farms spread over 22 square miles.

Peoples Telephone Company, dba TEC, will use a $1 million ReConnect Program loan and a $1 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to residents and businesses in rural Houston, Henry, Stewart and Montgomery counties. The funded service areas include 642 households, two pre-subscribed businesses and five pre-subscribed farms spread over 38 square miles.

United Communications Inc. will use a $3.3 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service to residents and businesses in rural Wilson, Rutherford, Williamson and Maury counties. The funded service areas include 2,716 households, 13 pre-subscribed businesses, 12 pre-subscribed farms and a critical community facility spread over 48 square miles.