American Recovery and Reinvestment in Japan

Hitachi Communication Technologies America has announced that its Hitachi's Node+Zero radio frequency of glass module has been accepted by the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for use by the Rural Telecom Infrastructure and by the Broadband Loan and Loan Guarantee Program.

As defined by the USDA, the RUS Rural Broadband Loan and Loan Guarantee Programs are designed to ensure that rural consumers enjoy the same quality and range of telecommunications services as those available in urban and suburban communities. The USDA RUS listing allows broadband service providers serving communities of up to 20,000 to install Hitachi's Node+Zero product using funding obtained under the RUS programs.

The listing also means that the Node+Zero module can be deployed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, exempting it from the ARRA’s Buy America provision. Within the ARRA, RUS is managing the Broadband Initiatives Program, with more than $2.5 billion to be awarded to build broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved rural areas.