[1st-mile-nm] USDA Announces Funding for Advanced Communications Technology in Rural Areas

[Richard Lowenberg]

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2014/05/0101.xml 

May 22, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to enhance telecommunications and broadcast services in rural areas.

The funding is available from the Community Connect Grant Program, the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program, and the Public Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program.

Through the Community Connect Grant Program, USDA plans to provide up to $13 million to fund broadband in unserved areas to support economic growth and deliver enhanced educational, health care and public safety services. Awardees must serve an area where broadband does not exist, provide a community center with broadband access, and offer broadband service to all residential and business customers.

Also in a notice in today's Federal Register, USDA is making available up to $19.3 million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program  grants to fund access to rural education, training and health care resources.

USDA will offer special consideration to Community Connect and Distance Learning and Telemedicine applications that contain at least one end-user site within a trust area or a Tribal jurisdictional area. 


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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute          www.1st-mile.org  
P. O.  Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM    87504
505-603-5200                 rl at 1st-mile.org
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