USDA Rural Development officials announced over $7 million in ReConnect Broadband grants for South Dakota on Wednesday. Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe was in South Dakota making a pair of announcements near Brookings and in Tea for close to 3,000 people in seven counties.
He says their agency is working through the Reconnect program to get broadband out to underserved rural areas that need that access.
Rupe says broadband connectivity is critical for farmers and ranchers to be able to compete in a global economy.
Rupe says they’ve made broadband connectivity announcements in most of the Northern Plains states and will be making a series of more of those in other states going forward. On Thursday, Rupe travels to his home state of Wyoming to make yet another announcement.
