US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has unveiled nearly $700 million in funding for rural and remote broadband.

The US has been working to close the digital divide between the quality of internet service available to customers in cities and urban areas versus what is available in rural and remote regions. The global pandemic illustrated the negative effects of the digital divide as Americans in rural areas struggled to work and learn remotely.

While the pandemic may be over, the US is still eager to close that divide and bring rural internet access into the 21st century.

“Keeping the people of rural America connected with reliable, high-speed internet brings new and innovative ideas to the rest of our country and creates good-paying jobs along the way,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are connecting rural communities to a global marketplace. These investments will support economic growth and prosperity for generations to come.”

The funding will help Americans in 22 states, as well as the Marshall Islands.

Today’s high-speed internet investments are part of the fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program. Many residents and businesses in rural areas would not have high-speed internet service without the ReConnect Program, as the program is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for All initiative to connect everyone in America to high-speed internet by 2030. Today’s announcement includes $667 million in USDA investments in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the Marshall Islands.

The announcement is good news for those living in rural and remote areas.