USDA Blog

By Bill Menner and Janie Dunning, USDA Rural Development State Directors of Iowa and Missouri Bringing broadband to rural communities is about more than guaranteeing your daughter has 24/7 access to Twitter, or giving your son unlimited opportunities to play video games.

Written by Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator, Rural Utilities Services Remote learning, teaching, and service delivery are becoming a way of life, and nowhere is that truer than in rural regions. Digital networks and new technologies are emerging to bring more cost-effective and high quality...

Written by Kelly Edwards Wisconsin USDA Public Information Coordinator Today too few rural citizens are able to take advantage of the opportunities broadband provides. With broadband becoming increasingly critical for economic growth and information accessibility needs, rural counties and cities are...

By Bobby M. Goode, Tennessee State Director Access to high speed Internet connections grows more important every day. For businesses in Rural America it can be the difference between success and layoffs. Now a 60-year old telephone co-op and USDA Rural Development (RD) have teamed up to construct...

As further evidence of Secretary Vilsack’s belief that broadband is the foundation of rural economic development, he brought together American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) recipients, economic development experts, and USDA officials in Dallas last week...

While the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is rich in cultural pride, identity and history, its remote location in the rugged terrain of Southeast Oklahoma has severely limited the tribe’s economic development efforts. But a Broadband Initiative Program grant, made available by the American Recovery and...

One of the best things about living in Alaska and working for USDA is seeing how our programs improve things for the folks who call this region home. Other than electricity and running water, nothing improves the quality of life more than broadband.

Cross-posted from the White House Blog Today I released our first comprehensive report on USDA’s deployment of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for rural broadband. It showed that the 68 investments we have already made will bring broadband access to an estimated 530,000 households, 93...

Written by Katie Yocum, USDA Rural Development, with assistance from Gayle Cargo, Texas Rural Development Public Information Coordinator

Written by Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service I traveled to Philadelphia today to join the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) for their 2010 national forum. We partner with CFC to finance electric cooperatives across rural America. It was a chance...