North Dakota, Montana receive $18.5 million for rural broadband | Kiowa County Press

(The Middle Sq.) – North Dakota and Montana are sharing $18.5 million in funding that may present high-speed web to rural residents, the U.S. Division of Agriculture mentioned Thursday.

The funding is thru the ReConnect Program, which was a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation, in keeping with a USDA information launch. The cash is awarded to areas the place the web has speeds of lower than 100 megabits per second for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads.

The Reservation Phone Cooperative will administer the funds in Richland and Wibaux counties in Montana and in Dunn, McKenzie and McLean counties in North Dakota, in keeping with the USDA. An estimated 1,151 residents, 67 companies, 4 public faculties and 91 farms can be related.

“With the assistance of great investments from USDA Rural Improvement, our state has change into a frontrunner within the nation in broadband connectivity, but there are nonetheless North Dakotans who lack fundamental entry to the web,” mentioned Erin Oban, USDA’s Rural Improvement State Director for North Dakota. “USDA Rural Improvement’s ReConnect Program goals to companion with suppliers to increase, enhance, and improve entry to a necessary and needed service, guaranteeing that North Dakotans will be related to 1 one other and to the remainder of the world regardless of how rural or distant we could also be.”

The award is a part of $401 million doled out by USDA on Thursday that may join 31,000 rural residents in 11 states, the company mentioned.

“The web is important to our progress and continues to behave as a catalyst for our prosperity,” mentioned USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in an announcement. “From the farm to the varsity, from households to worldwide markets, connectivity drives optimistic change in our communities.”