Arkansas receives $11.8 million in ReConnect grants

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Arkansas receives $11.8 million in ReConnect grants

The USDA has announced it is investing $11.8 million in grants to provide broadband service to rural areas in Arkansas that are unserved and underserved. The investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated in the second round of the ReConnect Program.

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says the need for rural broadband has never been more apparent as the nation navigates the coronavirus pandemic.  Perdue says access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband.  He says rural communities are needed now more than ever during these times and expanding access to the critical infrastructure will help ensure rural American prospers for years to come.

• Mountain View Telephone Company (MVTC) will use a $2.9 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 1,331 people, 39 farms, six businesses, two fire stations, and one post office to high-speed broadband internet in Stone County, Arkansas.
• Northern Arkansas Telephone Company (NATCO) will use a $4.7 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 1,202 people, 68 farms, and six businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Marion County, Arkansas.
• Arkansas Telephone Company (ATC) will use a $4.1 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 491 people, 92 farms, and four businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Pope and Van Buren counties in Arkansas.