(Washington, D.C., October 17, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be in Tennessee TOMORROW, Friday, October 18th.
Secretary Perdue to participate in ReConnect Announcement Ceremony
WHAT: Secretary Perdue will participate in a Reconnect Announcement Ceremony. This ReConnect Program Grant will increase e-connectivity, benefitting households in west Tennessee.
WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, October 18th beginning at 12:00pm CT.
WHERE: Forked Deer Electric Co-Op, 1135 N Church St, Halls, TN 38040
Secretary Perdue to participate in Stakeholder Townhall
WHAT: Secretary Perdue will participate in a Stakeholder Townhall. Following the event, Secretary Perdue will hold a media availability.
WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, October 18th beginning at 3:00pm CT.
WHERE: Agricenter International, 105 S. Germantown Parkway, Cordova TN 38018
Background on ReConnect Announcement:
Secretary Perdue will announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested millions of dollars in high-speed broadband infrastructure which will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 347 rural households in Tennessee. This is the first of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments. In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On December 13, 2018 Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019 and July 12, 2019 requesting $1.4 Billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100% loan, 100% grant, and loan-grant combination. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made on a rolling basis in the coming weeks. These grants, loans, and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second download and 1 megabit per second upload.
*NOTE: Media interested in attending must RSVP to press@xxxxxxxxxxx by TODAY, October 17th at 6:00pm ET.
