USDA Rural Development
continues to provide many
programs for financing rural
America's telecommunications
infrastructure. The
Traditional Telephone Loan
program consists of
hardship, cost of money, and
guaranteed loans that
finance voice telephone
service. Since 1995, every
telephone line this program
has constructed has also
been capable of providing
broadband service using
digital subscriber loop
(DSL) technology.
The Broadband Access Loan
program provides loans for
funding the costs of
construction, improvement,
and acquisition of
facilities to provide
broadband service to
eligible rural communities.
The Distance Learning and
Telemedicine program
continues its charge of
bringing electronic
educational resources to
rural schools and improving
health care delivery in
rural America. Lastly, the
Community Connect Grant
program provides financial
assistance to eligible
applicants that will provide
currently unserved areas
with broadband service that
fosters economic growth and
public safety services.
Based on a survey of Rural
Development's traditional
telephone loan program
borrowers conducted in
October 2006, approximately
92% of these borrowers are
providing high-speed
Internet service
("broadband") to all of the
telephone exchanges in their
service territories.
To learn more about the
history of REA and RUS,
click on the corresponding
links below.
What
is the Rural Electrification
Act?
What is
the Rural Utility Service?
In 2001, 96.9% of
Hawaii's occupied
housing units had
telephones. Hawaii had
14 major AM radio
stations and 21 major FM
stations as of 2003, as
well as 10 major
television stations. A
total of 27,025 Internet
domain names were
registered in Hawaii by
the year 2000.
