U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a second round of funding to expand the broadband capacity in rural areas of the United States. Applications for approximately $550 million for projects under round two of the Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect) are set to open on January 31.

USDA’s ReConnect Program is an effort to improve internet speeds in rural areas with limited access. Law defines limited access as download speeds of less than 10 megabits per second. According to USDA, it has already invested $343 million across 22 states. ReConnect is a loan and grant program that distributes funds to cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, for-profit corporations, state and local governments or Tribal entities.

For more information about USDA’s ReConnect Program, visit the USDA website: https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/program-overview