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Program / ReConnect
USDA ReConnect
USDA financing for rural broadband construction, offered as loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations through the Rural Utilities Service. VerisGov maps the structure and keeps the funding rounds current.
At a glance
- Program
- ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.
- Administering agency
- Rural Utilities Service (RUS), within USDA Rural Development.
- Statutory authority
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, exercising lending authority under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.
- Funding mechanism
- Loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations, with awards conditioned on financial feasibility and sustainability.
- Money flow
- USDA Rural Utilities Service awards financing directly to eligible providers and entities, which build, improve, or acquire broadband facilities in approved rural service areas.
- Who has a stake
- For-profit and nonprofit broadband providers, rural cooperatives, states and local governments, and Indian Tribes serving rural areas.
What it is
USDA ReConnect is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's flagship rural broadband financing program. It is administered by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) within USDA Rural Development. Congress established it through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, building on the lending authority of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, the same statutory lineage that brought electricity and telephone service to rural America.
ReConnect is distinctive because it is not purely a grant program. It provides funds through three structures: full loans, full grants, and loan-grant combinations. This lets USDA match the financing to the economics of a given rural build, and it means applicants are evaluated in part on financial feasibility and the ability to sustain a network over time, not just on need. Only projects USDA determines to be financially feasible and sustainable receive awards.
Eligibility is defined by rurality and lack of existing service. A broad set of applicants can apply, including for-profit and nonprofit providers, cooperatives, states and local governments, and Indian Tribes. The proposed service area must be rural and largely without sufficient broadband, with the specific household-coverage threshold and speed definitions set by program rules. Funds pay for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of the facilities and equipment needed to deliver service.
Key facts
- Program ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.
- Administering agency Rural Utilities Service (RUS), within USDA Rural Development.
- Statutory authority Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, exercising lending authority under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.
- Funding mechanism Loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations, with awards conditioned on financial feasibility and sustainability.
- Money flow USDA Rural Utilities Service awards financing directly to eligible providers and entities, which build, improve, or acquire broadband facilities in approved rural service areas.
- Who has a stake For-profit and nonprofit broadband providers, rural cooperatives, states and local governments, and Indian Tribes serving rural areas.
What it funds
- Construction of new broadband-capable infrastructure in eligible rural service areas
- Improvement or upgrade of existing facilities to deliver qualifying broadband service
- Acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service
- Pre-construction and project costs tied to deploying the funded rural network
Always current
What VerisGov keeps current
The facts above hold for years. These move, and they are where most of the work is. The engine tracks each one against its government source, so what you see is the live state, not a snapshot that quietly went out of date.
- Whether an application window or funding round is currently open and its deadlines
- The current maximum award amounts, match requirements, and the mix of loan, grant, and combination products offered
- The current speed and household-coverage thresholds that define an eligible rural service area
- Annual appropriations and any supplemental or congressionally directed funding for the program
How VerisGov covers it
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Pinned to records published by
- USDA Rural Development
- USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Is ReConnect a grant program or a loan program?
Both. ReConnect provides full loans, full grants, and loan-grant combinations. The structure is matched to the project, and awards depend on financial feasibility, not need alone.
What kinds of organizations can apply?
For-profit and nonprofit broadband providers, cooperatives, states and local governments, and Indian Tribes. The common requirement is the ability to build and sustainably operate service in an eligible rural area.
What makes a service area eligible?
The area must be rural and largely lack sufficient broadband service. The exact household-coverage percentage and speed thresholds are set by program rules and have changed across funding rounds.
How does VerisGov help with USDA ReConnect?
VerisGov maps the durable structure, the statute, the RUS role, the loan-grant mechanism, and eligibility, and keeps the volatile details current: open rounds, award amounts and match, the rural-eligibility thresholds, and appropriations. Every fact is pinned to its source.
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