Agriculture secretary touts benefits of rural broadband funds

The service received $2.5 billion from the $7.2 billion included in the stimulus for broadband access and adoption, while the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration received the rest.

So far, the $1.068 billion in funding the service awarded has been used to fund 68 projects in 31 states.

During a conference call with reporters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the projects will bring broadband service to an estimated 529,249 households, 92,754 businesses and 3,332 so-called anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, libraries and other critical community facilities across more than 172,000 square miles.

In addition to the 5,000 immediate jobs funded by the Rural Utilities Service broadband funding, Vilsack said the investments will help create more long-term jobs helping to maintain and repair the broadband networks and interacting with customers of those services. He added that the service will be announcing new broadband projects funded by the remaining stimulus funds throughout the summer.

"The infrastructure to allow rural America to grow and prosper includes access to broadband," Vilsack said. He noted that only half of rural Americans subscribe to broadband and most of the 14 million who lack access to broadband are in rural America.

Some lawmakers, particularly Republicans, have questioned whether the broadband program is wasting taxpayer money by funding broadband projects in areas where commercial providers already provide service. Rural Utilities Service and NTIA officials have staunchly denied such claims.