Rural
Senate Clears Agriculture Bill With $109 Million for Rural Broadband
USDA's ReConnect would see about $50 million for 2026, more than the Senate had previously put forward.
USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is a cabinet agency, and includes several broadband-related funding programs.
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.
FCC
Carr To Congress: FCC Improving Coordination Among Federal Broadband Programs
Chair responds to an April audit that flagged mapping weaknesses and data gaps.
AI
AI Infrastructure Boom Drives Need for Jump in U.S. Energy Production, Experts Say
AI's energy demands will require a 25% boost in U.S. electricity production over five years, experts warned.
Funding
Senate Approves FY2026 USDA Budget
Proposes $96 million for rural broadband grants and loans in FY26.
Funding
Senate Bill Would Terminate USDA’s Community Connect Grant Program
The program supports broadband expansion in rural areas where service does not exist.
Fiber
Anchorage Update: Lessons from the Frontier State
Industry executives, tribal leaders and policymakers came together to connect more Alaskans.
Digital Inclusion
USDA Cuts Race and Gender Criteria From Rural Development Programs
Follows March rollback of equity scoring in broadband grants.
Congress
Senate Panel Advances USDA Budget, Trims ReConnect in FY26
Senate appropriators cut $56 million from House’s proposed ReConnect budget.
NTIA
Pew: Incomplete Federal Data Threatens Effectiveness of Broadband Deployment Programs
'Gaps in data collection can cause misallocation of public resources.'
House Appropriations
House Restores ReConnect Funding for FY26
House doubles funding for rural broadband program, despite Trump proposing cuts.
Rural
Stakeholders Protest Rural Utilities Service Budget Cuts
Loans are 'a win-win situation for rural consumers and American taxpayers' because they are paid back with interest, the groups said.
NTIA
USDA, NTIA Receive Budget Cuts in Fiscal Year 2026
ReConnect eliminated; Digital Equity funding cut short
Funding
Trump Plan Wants to Cut USDA Broadband Funding
Other broadband resources are doing the job, White House said
Broadband Mapping and Data
GAO Flags Gaps in Federal Broadband Coordination and Data Accuracy
Three years after GAO recommendations, federal broadband coordination remains fragmented.
Expert Opinion
Tom Reid: Common-Sense Solutions to Closing the Digital Divide in Rural America
The BEAD investment offers great hope to rural America where we have been stuck in the digital divide since the beginning of the Internet age.
