The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $714 million in grants and loans to get rural communities in 19 states reliable, affordable internet access.
Farah Ahmad, the USDA’s deputy under secretary for Rural Development, said $29 million will go to Arizona as part of their ReConnect Program.
According to Ahmad, the announcement “is really about an investment in the prosperity of rural communities and part of that is making sure that rural communities are connected, and they're connected to high speed Internet.”
Ahmad said the bulk of those funds will connect people, businesses, farms and an elementary school in the Colorado River Indian Tribe, including the tribe’s Head Start program.
Overall, Ahmad said she pictures families in these communities using their connection to work, as well as access medical care and educational opportunities.
“High speed Internet has really become a daily part of our lives,” she said.
However, building that infrastructure in rural areas can be expensive, but “there's been a real recognition by the Biden-Harris administration that rural communities deserve that same infrastructure that [is] in other places across the nation.”
“Oftentimes rural communities have been left out of the digital economy,” Ahmad said. “And [this] announcement really helps close that digital divide.”
Ahmad said it’ll take about five years to address a growing demand for high quality, fast internet in rural and tribal communities.
“[That] may seem like a long time,” she said, “but [it] actually can be quite fast when you think about building really meaningful and sustainable infrastructure.”
