Department of Agriculture

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces its Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 22 broadband infrastructure projects to give rural residents in 18 states or territories access to improved economic and educational opportunities.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of eleven broadband infrastructure projects to enable rural residents in nine states to have access to improved economic and educational opportunities.

The Department of Agriculture announced 14 new Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) grants with nearly $310 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. An additional $3,551,887 in private investment brings the total to $313,475,239.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the newly announced Recovery Act Broadband Infrastructure project in Ohio that will receive a grant worth $1 million and a loan worth nearly $1.4 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Twenty two projects in 10 states have been selected for grants totaling $13.4 million to provide financial assistance to furnish broadband service in unserved, often isolated, rural communities.

The Department of Agriculture announced that 111 projects in 35 states have been selected to receive more than $34.9 million in grants to increase educational opportunities and expand access to health care services in rural areas.

In 1949, the Department of Agriculture's telecommunications loan program was established to provide telephone service to rural America.

The Rural Development Broadband Loan Program is committed to ensuring that rural America has access to affordable, reliable broadband service through loans for rural communities. This search tool is designed to allow the public to: 1) Find information about RUS funded Broadband Loans and 2) To search for community information by company, county or state and community name.

Broadband Internet's Value for Rural America, a new report from the US Department of Agriculture, finds that rural communities with greater broadband Internet access have greater economic growth than areas with less access.