WASHINGTON — Over 21,000 residents across six southern Illinois counties will receive broadband service through a $46.4 million grant/loan program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sonny Perdue, USDA secretary, announced the grant recipients Oct. 13 as part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program.
Hamilton County Telephone Co-op will use a $20 million ReConnect grant and a $20 million ReConnect loan to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network across 513 route miles to connect 19,749 people, 462 businesses, 347 farms, 16 educational facilities, three post offices and four fire stations to high-speed broadband internet in Saline, Williamson, Franklin and White counties in Illinois.
Flat Rock Telephone Co-op will use a $3.2 million ReConnect grant and a $3.2 million ReConnect loan to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network across 86 miles to connect 1,460 people, 50 farms, 13 businesses and a fire station to high-speed broadband internet in Crawford and Lawrence counties in Illinois.
“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now — as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency. Access to telehealth services, remote learning for schoolchildren and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” Perdue said.
“I am so proud of our rural communities who have been working day in and day out, just like they always do, producing the food and fiber America depends on. We need them more than ever during these trying times, and expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.
“This is one of the larger awards that we’ve made in ReConnect program in the state and it’s very necessary. The digital divide that’s happening in rural America puts our citizens that choose to live in rural America at a huge disadvantage.”
Here’s what others who participated in the announcement via teleconference said about the program that provides broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas of Illinois:
“Parts of my district are still struggling to obtain reliable internet connections, but this administration has provided expanded connections to help bridge that digital divide. Schools, small businesses, farmers, first responders rely on stable internet connections. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how bad the digital divide is in the rural parts of our country. While urban areas are able to have successful remote learning, rural areas oftentimes have trouble getting the students connected. In addition, farmers and their machines are becoming increasingly more high tech. Expanding rural broadband to farms will keep our families connected.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost
R-Murphysboro
“We know in rural America how co-ops provide the services that the big folks don’t want to provide and co-ops continue to support their ability to bridge this digital divide. Mr. Secretary and the president realized this connectivity was key prior to COVID. Now everybody is on the bandwagon to try to connect everybody now because of COVID, but this (ReConnect program) started in 2018 before we even had the pandemic.”
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus
R-Collinsville
“Broadband service is not a luxury. It’s a necessity out here in rural America and the COVID-19 situation has only further highlighted the need for improved connectivity. Broadband service is a critical component of modern agriculture, whether it’s access to information on the markets, the weather, or utilizing advancements in agriculture, broadband is critical to today’s farmers. Improved broadband service not only improves the economic well-being of farmers, but it also helps revitalize rural Illinois and boost our rural economies. Improved broadband is important for rural economic develop, rural education and rural healthcare.”
Richard Guebert Jr., president
Illinois Farm Bureau
“This pandemic has brought a lot of changes to all of our lives and we got to see first-hand how broadband connectivity is working. Those who live in rural areas truly have highlighted that need for high-speed, especially those who are working from home. I hear from a lot of schools about how the kids are trying to connect and get their studies. There’s a lot more to the internet than just that but just those two items alone have increased the need for broadband services. When we prepared the application we were mindful of these areas that we could serve efficiently and expeditiously. We’re a provider of both residential and business and so we want everyone to be connected. Our goal is when we go down a road we want everyone on that road to have access to those services.”
Kevin Pyle, general manager/vice president
Hamilton County Telephone Co-op
“It’s really going to help our cooperative here at Flat Rock. These types of programs are the only way we can get broadband to the rural people in our areas. It was (the board’s) vision to expand so they instructed us to try to get this grant. We really appreciate everything the USDA and administration has done.”
Barry Adair, general manager
Flat Rock Telephone Co-op