Press Releases
Pingree Encourages Maine Communities to Apply for New Broadband Program
Portland, ME,
December 14, 2018
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today encouraged Maine communities to apply for a new USDA program providing loans and grants to improve rural broadband access. “Slow internet in so many Maine towns is more than just an inconvenience for the people who live there—it’s a severe handicap. If we can’t bring their Internet speeds up quickly, our rural communities and businesses are simply going to get left behind in today’s economy,” Pingree said. “This funding is a positive first step to addressing a key need in rural America, which is why I have been proud to advocate for it on the House Appropriations Committee. The clear level of need in many parts of Maine makes them great candidates for funding. I hope many apply and want them to know my office is prepared to help however it can.” Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, which appropriated the $600 million for the USDA ReConnect Program. She is also a member of the Rural Broadband caucus and has cosponsored many bills to support expansion of rural broadband. Details on the Application Process provided by USDA Rural Development Telecommunications companies, rural electric cooperatives and utilities, internet service providers and municipalities may apply for funding through USDA’s new ReConnect Program to connect rural areas that currently have insufficient broadband service. USDA will make available approximately $200 million for grants (applications due to USDA by April 29), as well as $200 million for loan and grant combinations (applications due May 29), and $200 million for low-interest loans (applications due by June 28). Projects funded through this initiative must serve communities with fewer than 20,000 people with no broadband service or where service is slower than 10 megabits per second (mbps) download and 1 mbps upload. Approved projects must create access speeds of at least 25 mbps upload and 3 mbps download. Priority will be awarded for projects that propose to deliver higher-capacity connections to rural homes, businesses and farms. USDA seeks to stretch these funds as far as possible by leveraging existing networks and systems without overbuilding existing services greater than 10/1 mpbs. Full details on the program are available at https://reconnect.usda.gov/s/. |