Washington, D.C. As part of a larger $65 billion push for high-speed connectivity from last year’s infrastructure law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making $759 million in grants and loans available to help rural areas acquire high-speed internet.
The incentives are being unveiled in North Carolina on Thursday by White House senior adviser Mitch Landrieu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
In 24 states, there are 49 honorees.
One is AccessOn Networks of North Carolina, which will get $17.5 million to offer internet connectivity to 100 companies, 76 farms, and 22 educational establishments in the state’s Halifax and Warren counties. Both counties have a predominance of Black residents and are rural.
President Joe Biden and other top Democratic leaders are attempting to sell their accomplishments to voters ahead of the November election with the announcement and trip to North Carolina, a state with an open U.S. Senate seat.
8 parliamentary elections. On a call with reporters on Wednesday, Landrieu, the infrastructure coordinator and former mayor of New Orleans, said that the Biden administration had already allocated $180 billion for various infrastructure projects.
The administration is specifically targeting support for small towns and farm communities, places that generally favor Republicans over Democrats.
Rural areas are the backbone of our country, but for far too long, they have been overlooked, according to Landrieu. “We all understand how crucial the internet is for gaining access to life-saving telemedicine, seizing business opportunities, staying in touch with family, working on precision agriculture, and so much more. It rural America cannot access that is completely unacceptable.
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Vilsack asserted that Landrieu and he will “learn firsthand” about the possibilities offered by internet access from residents of North Carolina. At Wake Technical Community College, they intend to meet with regional and local leaders, including North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, to make the funding announcement. A town hall meeting will also be held in Elm City.
In North Carolina’s presidential election, neither contender received a single vote. Democrat Cheri Beasley and Republican Ted Budd, who are running for the Senate, are expected to attend the functions.
According to Vilsack, recent travels demonstrate how broadband internet is beginning to have an impact. He spoke with residents of the community of Lovelock while he was in Nevada this summer about their plans to use the upgraded internet to better their emergency response capabilities, tourism potential, and support for high school students who are earning college credit online.
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USDA announces $759 million for rural areas’ high-speed internet.
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