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Department of Agriculture - ReConnect Program

Agency/Department
Federal Agency/Bureau
Rural Utilities Service
Program Name
ReConnect Program
Authorizing Legislation

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115, 141

Program Overview

ReConnect offers grants, loan-grant combinations, and low-interest loans for broadband infrastructure to connect rural families, businesses, farms, ranches, schools, libraries, and public safety facilities to modern, high-speed internet. ReConnect funds can be used to construct, improve, and acquire facilities that provide internet services to customers’ premises, with reliable technologies that are suitable for rural community high-speed internet use.

CFDA

10.752

Type of Funding

Discretionary

Loan or loan guarantee

Other (i.e. loan-grant combo; if there is a set-aside amount for certain recipients, please indicate the amount): 50-50 Loan-Grant Combinations are offered

Link to application site, NOFO, FOA, or Grants.gov (if different from program website above)

Applications must be submitted electronically through the RUS on-line application portal located at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect. The FOA will be made available for informational purposes on Grants.gov.

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or Federal Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Type

Reissue/Renewal

Important Dates (if applicable)

Not Applicable

FY2023 Appropriations Amount

Total Amount: $338,000,000
Amount Available Towards Broadband (if specified):

Matching Requirement

Other (i.e. if match is beneficial to an application but not required): Matching requirements are determined in each Funding Opportunity Announcement and may not be required for specific applicant types.

Complementary Federal Funding Option

This program cannot be used as a match to other federal programs.

Broadband-related Program Purpose/Eligible Expenditures
Speed/Technical Requirement for Broadband Infrastructure

Minimum broadband speed requirements are determined in each Funding Opportunity Announcement and posted in the Federal Register.

Criteria for Eligible Recipients

This program is intended for rural areas without sufficient access to broadband. Rural area is defined in the program regulation as any area that is not located within: (1) A city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants; or (2) an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants as defined in the Agency mapping tool. This definition excludes incarcerated populations and provides limited exclusion of military base populations.

Grant Beneficiaries (if different from eligible recipients)

Households, business, and anchor institutions within the approved project service area.

Programmatic Resources
Reporting Requirements

Additional requirements, including required reporting by grant awardees, can found in the program’s regulation, 7 CFR 1740, and on the program’s website,
https://www.usda.gov/reconnect

Publicly-available programmatic data
Contact Information

Please contact the ReConnect Program Staff at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/contact-us

Additional Information
Updated

March 2023

Funding Guide
USDA_RP.pdf (536.79 KB)