USDA invests more than $500K in high-speed broadband in rural Iowa

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 14, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that USDA is investing more than $500,000 to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Iowa. This investment is part of USDA’s round one investments through the ReConnect Pilot Program.

“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now – as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency. Access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” said Secretary Perdue. “I am so proud of our rural communities who have been working day in and day out, just like they always do, producing the food and fiber America depends on. We need them more than ever during these trying times, and expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.”

In rural Iowa, Breda Telephone Corp. will use a $523,749 grant to deploy a Fiber-to-the Home (FTTH) network to connect 113 people, 20 farms and nine businesses in Arcadia, Iowa, in Carroll County to broadband e-Connectivity.