NTCA Members Receive $145 Million in USDA Funding

Members of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association received over $145 million in loans and grants for broadband deployment through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) latest distribution of funding under the ReConnect and Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantees programs. The funding will support the delivery of 100 Mbps symmetrical or better broadband service to over 17,200 people, 223 businesses, 481 farms and 20 anchor institutions. Earlier this year, USDA announced awards of approximately $350 million and $530 million to NTCA members through the ReConnect Program and Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantees Program. In 2022, USDA awarded over $1 billion to NTCA members, including previously announced awards of approximately $400 million,  $375 million and $200 million through these programs.  
  
“NTCA’s community-based members have a long track record of serving some of the most rural and remote areas of the country,” said NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield. “We are thrilled that USDA continues to recognize the hard work and dedication of NTCA members when allocating broadband funding and look forward to continued collaboration to bridge the digital divide in rural America.” 
  
The following NTCA members received funding through the most recent ReConnect loans and grants to be announced:  
   
• Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative Inc. (Anchorage, Alaska)
• San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Inc. (Peridot, Ariz.)
• Grafton Communications, Inc. (Grafton, Ill.)
• Western New Mexico Telephone Company, Inc. (Silver City, N.M.)
• The Pottawatomie Telephone Co. LLC (Earlsboro, Okla.)
• Big Bend Telephone Company Inc. (Alpine, Texas)
• Eastex Telephone Cooperative Inc. (Henderson, Texas)
 
The following NTCA member received funding through the most recent Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantees Program announcement: 
 
• Table Top Telephone Co. Inc. (Ajo, Ariz.)