Bill Proposes to Modify ReConnect Program in Favor of Small Provider Applicants
The bill would create a ‘mini-grant program’ and an interagency broadband council.
Teralyn Whipple
WASHINGTON, August 16, 2023 – Sens Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, and Ted Budd, R-N.C., introduced legislation Wednesday to make it easier for small providers to apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect loan and grant program.
The bill, called the Connecting our Neighbors to Networks and Ensuring Competitive Telecommunications Act, would ensure that federal funding reaches rural communities faster by shortening required permitting deadlines. Representatives Brittany Pettersen, D-Colorado, and Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, are expected to introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
It would establish an office of technical assistance to aid eligible providers with application forms, create a mini-grant program for grants up to $20,000 for small providers and prioritize applications from local government, nonprofits and cooperatives. It would also shorten certain permitting deadlines for USDA-funded projects from 270 to 180 days, create an interagency broadband council to recommend uniform standards for federal programs and expand federal easements for certain electric utilities to enable them to lease existing fiber capacity.
“It’s time Washington made federal programs easier to access for small providers – who are most attuned to the needs of their customers–and strengthened support for local governments, nonprofit organizations, and cooperatives seeking to provide internet service to rural residents,” said Bennet in a statement.
The ReConnect program’s application process remains complicated and expensive, added Budd. He said that the process makes it more difficult for small rural providers to get projects approved and that the legislation will make it easier for more Americans to get access to affordable, high-quality internet.
“Millions of rural Americans continue to lack adequate access to the internet, where the costs of connection can be high and existing service too slow or expensive to be of much use. While the ReConnect Loan and Grant program provides broadband funding for eligible rural areas, the application process can be complicated and prohibitively expensive for small providers,” read the press release.
Executive Director of the Colorado Broadband Office Brandy Reitter said that the CONNECT Act “marks a significant stride toward bridging the digital divide.”
The ReConnect program offers grants, loan-grant combinations and low-interest loans for broadband infrastructure to connect rural addresses to high-speed internet. The funds can be used to construct, improve, and acquire facilities that provide internet services to customers’ premises with reliable technologies that are suitable for rural community high-speed internet use.
