Small Town News

SRT receives portion of recovery act funds for broadband project

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USDA Rural Development State Director Jasper Schneider. U.S. Senator Kent Conrad, USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Jonathan Adelstein and Consolidated Telcom and SRT Communications board members gathered to announce projects expanding broadband services in rural North Dakota.

"These projects will provide broadband to thousands of North Dakotans. It will spark economic development, increase learning opportunities and connect more North Dakotans to the wide array of resources available online," said Senator Kent Conrad.

Consolidated Telcom and SRT

Communications were awarded more than $15.9 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) to expand broadband access in rural North Dakota.

Today, there are many areas in rural America that do not have adequate access to Broadband. Investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure will help bridge the technological divide so rural communities have all the tools they need to thrive and compete in this digital age.

The projects announced today are funded through USDA Rural Development's Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) established

under the Recovery Act.

The program administers grants and loans for the deployment and construction of broadband systems with the intent to increase broadband services, create jobs and stimulate economic growth in rural areas.

"Broadband infrastructure is critical to enable innovation, economic competiveness and provide the ability to communicate without boundaries," said Schneider. "The technology will help rural communities build prosperous economies for the 21 st Century, making it more attractive to live and work in all parts of North Dakota."

SRT Communications, Inc will receive a total of $4,429,516 leveraged through a $2,214,758 loan and matching grant. The Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) project will provide broadband services to the rural community of Metigoshe. Using fiber optic cable, SRT will provide more than 20 Mbps in broadband access to each of the 665 households and businesses, simultaneously. As North Dakota's largest telephone cooperative, SRT employs over 200 people and serves approximately 50,000 telephone customers in north central North Dakota.

Further information on rural

programs is available at a loc; USDA Rural Development offk or by visiting USDA Rural Deve opment's web site i http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.



Copyright 2010 The Lake Metigoshe Mirror, Bottineau, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 The Lake Metigoshe Mirror Bottineau, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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