ReConnect Funding to Provide over 10,000 People in Utah Access to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. August 11, 2021 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $24.5 million in grants for Utah to deploy broadband infrastructure in rural underserved populations in northeast Utah, serving Duchesne, Uintah and Wasatch counties. This also includes native American tribal lands in those areas.
“Generations ago, the federal government recognized that without affordable access to electricity, Americans couldn’t fully participate in modern society and the modern economy. Broadband internet is the new electricity. It is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school learning and health care, and to stay connected,” Secretary Vilsack said. “This is why President Biden’s American Jobs Plan prioritizes building ‘future-proof’ broadband infrastructure – like the investments we’re announcing today – in areas without sufficient access to broadband, so that we finally reach 100 percent high-speed broadband coverage.”
UBTA-UBET Communications Inc., known as Strata Network, has been approved to receive $24,563,757 in grant funds to combine with $8,187,919 of matching funds, to connect a high-speed fiber network to 3,472 households, 10,501 people, 32 businesses, and 39 farms spread over 118.86 square miles in northeastern Utah. This investment will provide people access to the essential benefits high-speed internet provides including tools necessary to function at full capacity in education, healthcare, and the economy.
The investments being announced today are part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program as well as other funds made available for the program since 2018. USDA expects to begin inviting applications for a third round of program funds in the coming weeks.
Background:
USDA’s ReConnect Program provides loans and grants to construct, improve or acquire facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. To learn more about ReConnect Program eligibility, technical assistance and recent announcements, visit www.usda.gov/reconnect.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information in Utah, visit www.rd.usda.gov/Ut
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