USDA Sending $12.5 Million to Georgia for Rural Broadband

CARES Act ReConnect Funding to Connect 2,779 Rural Households to High-Speed Broadband.

The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $12.5 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Georgia. This investment is part of the $100 million in grant funding made available for the ReConnect Pilot Program through the CARES Act.

“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 school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “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.”

In rural Georgia, DoveTel Communications, LLC (dba SyncGlobal Telecom) will use a $12.5 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 7,348 people, 121 farms, 15 businesses, four fire stations, and one elementary school to high-speed broadband internet in Heard, Troup, and Carroll counties.

USDA received 11 Round Two ReConnect Program applications that are eligible for the $100 million Congress allocated to the program through the CARES Act. More investments made possible with these resources will be announced in the coming weeks.