USDA’s Andy Berke Champions Fiber as Key to Rural Broadband Success

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2024 – Can low-Earth orbit satellites really solve rural America’s broadband gap? Fiber Broadband Association CEO Gary Bolton isn’t convinced.

"If we can get electricity to a house, we can get fiber there too," Bolton remarked in a conversation Wednesday with Andy Berke, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. 

The two broadband leaders discussed proposed guidance that could result in low-Earth orbit satellites or fixed wireless being classified as adequate broadband service under the $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Bolton voiced concern that this could leave some rural communities with subpar Internet options. Berke emphasized that while satellite and wireless technologies have their place, the goal should be ensuring high-quality, future-proof fiber connections for rural America.

The conversation centered on historic investments in broadband under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and the challenges of sustaining long-term funding. Berke warned against “funding fatigue” that could arise as policymakers and the public tire of infrastructure discussions.

While federal programs like BEAD and USDA’s ReConnect have provided billions for broadband expansion, Berke emphasized that this work is ongoing.

"Infrastructure is never done," he said. "Even 90 years after the rural electrification initiative, we're still investing in upgrades.” The same, he said, will be true for broadband.

Berke, who previously served as Mayor of Chattanooga, Tenn. and a key figure in the broadband expansion of America’s first “Gig City,” reflected on his career, emphasizing the importance of connectivity and how broadband access has become central to his work in public service.

Under Berke's leadership, the USDA's Rural Utility Service has continued to play a critical role in bridging that divide. Since its inception as part of the New Deal-era Rural Electrification Administration, the RUS has helped rural communities build essential infrastructure, including water, electricity, and now broadband.

Each year, RUS provides around $1.5 billion in loans and grants to small communities to improve water systems. In 2023, the RUS provided nearly $7 billion in loans to rural electric co-ops, which often use the funds to build fiber networks as part of their infrastructure projects. Additionally, owing to the Inflation Reduction Act, the RUS received $11 billion in new funding to support clean energy projects in rural America. 

The USDA’s ReConnect program has given out just under $4 billion in this administration alone, according to Berke, with over $2 billion of that coming from the IIJA. These funds have connected more than 627,000 people to high-speed internet.