Education
USDA Requests $230 Million for Rural Broadband and Telehealth, a Decline Over Previous Budgets
The agriculture department proposed canceling $40 million in unused ReConnect funds in 2027 budget.
Rural
USDA Nominee Glen Smith Vows Review of Rural Broadband Programs
During his nomination hearing, lawmakers pressed on coordinating USDA’s broadband programs and reviewing stalled energy projects.
Digital Inclusion
USDA Cuts Race and Gender Criteria From Rural Development Programs
Follows March rollback of equity scoring in broadband grants.
ReConnect
Senate Confirms Brooke Rollins to Lead USDA
Was approved in a 72-28 vote Thursday; approach to rural broadband issues was not prominently discussed in hearings.
White House
Opportunity Zones Developing Quickly, Say Trump Advisers
May 18, 2020 — Opportunity Zones are performing well, said several Presidential Cabinet members in a Monday meeting. Opportunity Zones, low-income areas where private corporations can receive tax benefits to stimulate economic development, were created in 2018 as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Ac
