Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in...
Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a letter made public Thursday to modernize the rules that govern the Rural Utilities Service’s Community Connect program. Michaud said the grant program, which funds broadband infrastructure projects to rural…
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communities, contains “outdated” broadband eligibility standards in need of revision. The program’s definition of broadband transmission services at 200 kbps is no longer accurate because most small businesses require a minimum of 3 Mbps broadband capacity in order to work reliably, the letter said. “Improving this standard will ensure that more struggling rural communities are able [to] expand broadband access for their residents, schools, health care providers, and businesses,” the letter said. The agency did not comment.