BUENA VISTA TWP., MI — Residents in rural Saginaw County and other parts of the state could see improved internet access thanks to a nearly $1 million grant.
Brandon Fewins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Michigan Rural Development State Director, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Michigan Rural Development State Director, Robin Glenn Indiantown in Saginaw County and several other communities across four other Michigan counties, said in a USDA news release. announced a $997,000 grant to expand internet access in the United States.
Merit Network Inc. will receive funding to develop a connectivity and digital equity strategy to accelerate the expansion of high-speed internet in select rural areas in Saginaw, Muskegon, Roscommon, Van Buren, and Ogemaw counties. I received it.
“This will lay the foundation for increasing internet access in eight rural areas,” Funes said in a statement. “We are creating a blueprint for more opportunities, better education, and all the benefits of high-speed internet access.”
This funding is available through the Broadband Technical Assistance Program. USDA is providing $9.7 million to support 24 organizations providing or receiving technical assistance to expand high-speed internet access to people in rural and tribal communities across 17 states. The funding will also support the development and expansion of rural broadband cooperatives, the release said.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunity, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans living in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure, business development, housing, schools and other community facilities, public safety and health care, and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal, and impoverished areas.
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