South Dakotans To Benefit From Federal Rural Broadband Contract

FLANDREAU, SD – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for South Dakota Julie Gross today announced the award of a contract to create or improve e-Connectivity for more than 1,750 homes in rural South Dakota. The award is one of the first to be announced under USDA’s ReConnect pilot program.

Valley Telecommunications Cooperative of Herreid, Campbell County has been awarded $9.5 million in ReConnect grant funding to deploy a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Brookings, Kingsbury and Moody counties. The infrastructure funded by this investment is anticipated to reach 1,750 rural South Dakota households, including 27 farms, 17 businesses and one critical community facility.

“Reliable, high-speed broadband internet e-Connectivity is essential to increasing access to specialized health care and education, connecting with friends and family, building or starting a business, or increasing productivity at your agricultural operation,” Director Gross said.

The USDA’s ReConnect program was funded in 2018 when Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. The program furnishes funds for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service to rural areas that have been identified as having insufficient internet service.

USDA reviews ReConnect program applications and approves projects on a rolling basis. The South Dakota contract is one of the first awards to be announced.

Further details on the ReConnect program can be found on the USDA’s website at: https://www.usda.gov/reconnect