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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic prompts postponements of deadlines for Real ID, ReConnect loans and grants and more

The pandemic has prompted the federal government to move back compliance or application deadlines for many programs. Here are a few with rural resonance:

President Trump announced Monday that he will push back the Oct. 1 deadline that would have required Americans to have a Real ID-compliant identification in order to board a plane or enter military bases and federal buildings, Andrea Noble reports for Route Fifty. After the deadline, people without a Real ID would have to have a passport in order to fly or enter those buildings.

No new deadline has been set, but the National Governors' Association asked the Department of Homeland Security to extend the deadline by one year, Noble reports. An extension will help rural residents especially, who have been having a harder time acquiring Real IDs.

The Department of Agriculture has extended the application deadline for the ReConnect rural broadband program to April 15, according to a press release. The deadline has already been extended once for the program, which will provide up to $600 million in loans, grants, and loan/grant combos for rural broadband buildout.

The Federal Communications Commission announced last week that it will extend the application window for the Rural Health Care Program until June 30. The program provides funding to qualified health care providers for telecommunications and broadband services for telehealth services. Annual funding is called at $571 million.

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