Brownstown area to benefit in $4 million fiber project

Rural residents in the Brownstown area will see improvements to their internet options under a $4 million dollar investment announced this week from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Program.

According to the agency, Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation will use a $1.9 million loan and a $1.9 million grant to deploy fiber to connect 4,881 people, 198 farms and 36 businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Jackson and Lawrence counties.

This is part of the $550 million second round of the ReConnect Program allocated by Congress and administered by the USDA. USDA received 172 applications for $1.57 billion in the second round of the ReConnect Program, which had a deadline in April.

USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney said innovation depends on access to reliable, high-speed internet.

To learn more about ReConnect Program you can go to usda.gov/reconnect.