February 24, 2025
Shaw Local
NewsSportsBearseNewspaperNewsletterObituariesWeekend PlansEvent Calendar

Bipartisan group introduces bill to improve rural broadband access

By Shaw Local News Network
Hundreds of miles of Ubiquity fiber networks are providing broadband access to thousands of customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. (Photo: Business Wire)

Congress is introducing bipartisan legislation to improve access to high quality, affordable broadband in rural communities.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood joined U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn, Angie Craig and Eric Sorenson in introducing bipartisan legislation to improve access to high quality, affordable broadband in rural communities, including parts of McHenry County.

According to LaHood’s office, the ReConnecting Rural America Act makes improvements to the U.S. Department of Agriculture ReConnect Program, which offers loans, grants and loan-grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas of the United State that do not have sufficient access to broadband.

Established in 2018, the USDA ReConnect Program provides loans and grants to eligible entities to facilitate broadband deployment in underserved areas that do not currently have sufficient access to broadband. The ReConnecting Rural America Act strengthens the USDA ReConnect Program by:

  • Making the ReConnect Program permanent.
  • Authorizing the USDA to make loans, grants and grant-loan combinations for the construction and improvement of equipment and facilities to provide broadband.
  • Establishing requirements for faster, more reliable internet at a 100/100 Mbps symmetrical buildout speed.
  • Prioritizing communities with the greatest need for increased speeds by defining unserved communities as at least 75% of households unserved at 100/20 mbps speed and prioritizing awards to areas in which at least 90% of households lack 100/20 mbps speed.
  • Ensuring the program can keep up with the increase in demand by including sufficient funding authorization levels.

The ReConnecting Rural America Act is supported by the Rural Broadband Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Farm Credit Council and the Fiber Broadband Association.

Have a Question about this article?