PCCA Journal|2
nd
Quarter 2010
10
I
n announcements in February and March, Agri-
culture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the se-
lection of 33 broadband infrastructure projects to
give rural residents access to improved economic
and educational opportunities. Funding for the
projects is being provided through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon
their meeting the terms of the loan, grant, or loan/
grant agreement.
Alaska
, Supervision Inc., The Farther and Faster Proj-
ect: $174,680 grant and $43,671 private investment to
provide last-mile cable to deliver broadband capability
in Tanana.
American Samoa
, American Samoa Telecommunica-
tions Authority, Broadband Linking the American Sa-
moa Territory Project: $10 million loan, $81.034 million
grant, and $4.462 million private investment to replace
legacy copper infrastructure with a fiber optic network
that will link the main islands of American Samoa.
California
, Ponderosa Cablevision, Millerton Project:
$1.926 million loan and $1.926 million grant to provide
fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) in a 31-square-mile area
adjacent to Ponderosa’s current service territory.
Colorado
, Wiggins Telephone Association, Weldona-
Orchard FTTP Project: $2.168 million loan and $2.159
million grant to provide FTTP in the Weldona-Goo-
drich-Orchard area.
Georgia
, Flint Cable TV, Flint Digital Wave Project:
$4.095 million loan and $4.095 million to provide a
Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network to homes in un-
derserved areas central Georgia.
Idaho
, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Coeur d’Alene Reservation
FTTH Project: $6.142 million loan and $6.142 million
grant to provide a FTTH broadband system in northern
Idaho.
Indiana
, Sunman Telecommunications, 700MHz
WiMAX Wireless Broadband Plan Project: $5.694 mil-
lion loan and $5.694 million grant to provide needed
broadband services in rural communities of Indiana.
Indiana
, Smithville Telephone Company, Inc.: $37.729
million loan to provide broadband service.
Iowa
, Southeast Iowa Rural Wireless Broadband:
$3.836 million loan to provide internet services to 80
rural communities using proven wireless technology.
Kentucky
, Mountain Rural Telephone Cooperative
Corporation ILEC Broadband: $39.843 million loan and
$38.281 million grant to provide fiber to Morgan, Meni-
fee, Wolfe, and Elliott counties.
Louisiana
, Allen’s Cable FTTP Broadband Network
Extension: $3.584 million loan and $3.513 million grant
to extend fiber into rural areas of three South Louisiana
parishes.
Louisiana
, LBH, LLC, Rural Broadband Powered by
Fiber: $16.693 million loan and $16.691 million grant
to expand existing broadband into rural areas around
Moss Bluff, Oakdale, and Vinton.
Kansas and Oklahoma
, Totah Communications, Inc.,
the Totah Broadband Expansion Project: $4.852 million
loan, $3.660 million grant, and $2.1 million private
investment to upgrade existing copper-fed DSL nodes
to fiber-fed DSL nodes and install additional fiber-fed
DSL nodes throughout the service area.
Michigan
, Southwest Michigan Communications, Paw
Paw and Antwerp, MI FTTP Project: $4.165 million
loan and $4.165 million grant to provide advanced
broadband services in the rural Paw Paw area.
Minnesota
, Halstad Telephone Company, the HTC Min-
nesota Exchanges FTTP Project: $3.277 million loan
and $3.277 million grant to provide FTTP broadband in
Norman and Polk Counties.
Minnesota
, Southwest Minnesota Broadband Group:
$6.35 million loan and $6.35 million grant to provide
service to eight rural communities throughout south-
western Minnesota.
Mississippi
, Bay Springs Telephone Co., Bay Springs
Broadband Initiatives Project: $4.304 million loan and
$4.135 million grant to expand advanced DSL broad-
band services to unserved and underserved areas in
Jasper, Jones, Rankin, Scott, and Smith Counties.
Agriculture Department
Announces 33 Rural Broadband Projects
RDUP News