Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Applications sought for rural broadband grants

On Friday the Rural Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture's announced it was accepting a new round of grant applications to provide broadband Internet access in communities that have no broadband. Funding is through the Community Connect Grant program. The grants are available to "communities in the most rural, economically challenged areas where loans would not be sustainable," USDA said in a news release.
Incorporated organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, state and local government bodies, for-profit or non-profit cooperatives, private corporations and limited liability corporations are all eligible to apply. Funds may be used to "construct, acquire or lease facilities to deploy broadband to residents, businesses and essential community facilities such as police and fire stations, libraries, schools, and health care clinics," USDA says. (Read more) You can find more information about the grant applications here and here.

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