The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the USDA will begin accepting applications on September 6 for funding to expand access to high-speed internet for millions of people in rural America nationwide through the ReConnect Program, which received new funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). USDA is making additional funding available for high-speed internet in Round 4 of the ReConnect Program. The agency will begin accepting applications on September 6 for up to $150 million in loans, up to $300 million in loan/grant combinations, and up to $700 million in grants. The application deadline is November 2. USDA has made several improvements to the ReConnect Program for Round 4. Collectively, they increase the availability of funding in rural areas where residents and businesses lack access to affordable, high-speed internet. Additionally, to ensure that rural households that need internet service can afford it, all awardees under this funding round will be required to apply to participate in the IIJA's Affordable Connectivity Program. To be eligible for ReConnect Program funding, an applicant must serve an area where high-speed internet service is not available at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 20 Mbps (upload). The applicant must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service at speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in its proposed service area.

Is fixed wireless a more affordable solution than fiber? Not so fast, according to a recent 150-page study conducted by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society by CTC Technology and Energy. Fiber advantages over fixed wireless networks include a thousand times the broadband capacity and the ability to scale bandwidth by simply changing out the electronics at the ends, according to Andrew Afflerbach, CEO and Chief Technology Officer of CTC Technology & Energy. While fiber is initially more expensive to deploy, in the long term the cost of fiber and fixed wireless costs are comparable since fixed wireless networks require the replacement of the entire system every few years. For service providers, it is simply less complex to fully and consistently serve rural households using fiber. Depending on the geography and density of the area and the available spectrum, fixed wireless makes it possible to use a single site to serve up to hundreds of users, but adding broadband speed and capacity requires moving from lower-frequency RF into millimeter wave technology. While lower frequencies are good for providing coverage around hills and trees, millimeter wave require strict line of sight between the distribution tower and customers.