Standing Rock Telecom to get $22M to connect some residents to high-speed internet
A telecommunications company that serves the Standing Rock Reservation and nearby areas in southern North Dakota will receive a $22 million federal grant that will connect some rural residents, farmers and business owners to high-speed internet.
The grant, funded by the fifth round of the ReConnect Program , will be given to Standing Rock Telecommunications and is set to benefit at least 426 people, 16 businesses, 104 farms and three schools in Sioux County and Corson County, South Dakota, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development .
The ReConnect Program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and funds difficult high-speed internet projects in the nation, which are in rural, remote and unserved areas. The grant that Standing Rock Telecom received had a maximum award amount of $25 million, with no match required.
"Access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet is no longer considered a luxury, and yet, there are still places and people here in North Dakota that lack that access to support their businesses, their schoolwork, and their ability to connect to others," Erin Oban, state director of USDA Rural Development in North Dakota, said in a statement.
USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden said that the investment aims to drive economic security and rural prosperity for future generations.
"Keeping the people of rural America connected with reliable, high-speed internet brings new and innovative ideas to the rest of our country and creates good-paying jobs," Gooden added.
Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, the department has invested more than $4 billion in 345 ReConnect projects that are expected to connect more than 600,000 people living in the most rural areas to high-speed internet. In the latest round , there were 10 projects across nine states, including North Dakota.
After the announcement was made in Fort Yates, Oban and Gooden traveled to Mandan to announce a $200,000 grant for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, which will use funding to give technical help to cooperatives and mutually owned businesses to service rural areas in the state.
"The leadership of the NDAREC and of their member co-ops across the state are focused on the success and future of the rural people and areas they serve. They've become trusted partners and creative problem-solvers, creating lasting impacts for our rural communities, small businesses, and friends and neighbors," Oben said.
