|
Media Advisory No. 4196.10 |
Contact:
USDA Office of Communications
(202) 720-4623
|
Secretaries Vilsack, Locke, Chief Economist to the Vice President Bernstein to Hold Press Conference Call to Announce Recovery Act Investments to Improve Broadband Internet Access
WASHINGTON, August 18, 2010 – TODAY, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, and Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist to the Vice President, will hold a press conference call tomorrow to announce Recovery Act investments that will expand high-speed Internet access in communities across the country.
Under President Obama’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture are responsible for administering nearly $7 billion in grants and loans to improve high-speed Internet access. With new or increased broadband access, communities will be able to compete on a level playing field to attract new businesses; schools can create distance learning opportunities; medical professionals can provide cost-efficient remote diagnoses and care, and business owners can expand the market for their products beyond their neighborhoods to better compete in the global economy. The investments will create jobs in the short term and help establish a new foundation for long-term economic growth.
|
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
12 p.m. EDT/ 11 a.m. CDT |
WHO: |
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist to the Vice President |
WHAT: |
Media teleconference to announce funding of broadband service through the USDA and Department of Commerce Recovery Act Broadband Programs. |
HOW: |
Audio Bridge Number: 800-857-5233
Passcode: OCAR (Given Verbally)
Trouble number – 202-720-8560 |
All callers using the above pass code will be placed in listen-only mode. To join the Q&A portion of the meeting, these callers are instructed to press *1 on their touch tone phone.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
|
|