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WASHINGTON July 26, 2004—Agriculture
Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced, as part of the Bush
Administration's effort to expand the availability of broadband technology
in rural areas, the approval of $18 million in broadband loans for New
Mexico, Oklahoma and New Hampshire.
In New Mexico, $11,388,000 in loan funds will help
Yucca Telecommunications purchase network and access equipment and
also provide for outside plant construction. The funding comes from USDA's
rural broadband access program that provides loans and loan guarantees for
the construction, improvement and acquisition of facilities and equipment
for broadband service in eligible rural communities. Priority is given to
applications that propose to serve areas where no residential broadband
service currently exists. Additional loans announced include:
Vidia Communications, Inc.,
Okla.--$2.88 million, will be used to upgrade an existing cable
television system to a Hybrid Fiber Coax network, upgrade an existing
video head end and CMTS to provide for additional channels and subscribers
additions. It will also provide for construction of 106 miles of fiber
optic/coaxial plant. The upgrades will make it possible for Vidia to
provide CATV services to 1,813 subscribers of which 520 will take
advantage of high speed cable modem service and 625 will take
voice-over-IP service.
Merton Capital, LLC, New Hampshire--$3.717
million, will be used to construct Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) broadband
systems in the town of Hanover, New Hampshire and deploy 99 miles of new
fiber cable. The loan will also enable the company to provide broadband
service to Hanover, including approximately 1,322 subscribers receiving
high-speed data services and 1,199 subscribers receiving video
services.
Funding of selected applicants will be contingent
upon meeting the conditions of the loan agreements. USDA provides a number
of other important tools to advance broadband service in rural America.
Included is the Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program, with
funding levels of $25 million a year during the Bush Administration. USDA
has also used a broadband grant program called Community Connect as well
as community facilities programs to build connectivity for rural homes and
businesses.”
Since the beginning of the Bush Administration, over
$2 billion in telecommunication funding has provided over one million
rural homes and businesses with access to high speed broadband
connections. To learn more about available funding through USDA's
broadband program, visit http://www.usda.gov/ or contact USDA Rural
Development broadband staff at (202) 720-9554.
USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver
programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and
improve the quality of life of rural residents. Rural Development provides
investment and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in
homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology
infrastructure. Further information on rural programs is available at a
local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/.
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