It’s official! Bloomingdale Communications’ subsidiary Southwest Michigan Communications has been awarded 50% Grant/50% Loan funds as part of the USDA’s investment in rural broadband. These funds will allow us to bring fiber to the home service in unserved and underserved areas of Van Buren & Allegan Counties.
Full press release:
Trump Administration Invests $10.1 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Michigan
ReConnect Funding to Connect 2,727 Rural Households to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity
Release & Contact Info
Press ReleaseRelease No. 0422.20
Contact: USDA Press
Email: press@oc.usda.gov
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2020 – The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $10.1 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Michigan. This investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program.
“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now – as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency. Access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said. “I am so proud of our rural communities who have been working day in and day out, just like they always do, producing the food and fiber America depends on. We need them more than ever during these trying times, and expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.”
Allband Multimedia LLC will use a $3.5 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fixed wireless network to connect 3,678 people, 64 farms, 54 businesses, four educational facilities and a post office to high-speed broadband internet in Alpena, Alcona and Iosco counties in Michigan.
Southwest Michigan Communications Inc. will use a $3.3 million ReConnect grant and a $3.3 million ReConnect loan to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 3,203 people, 40 farms and 27 businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Van Buren, Kalamazoo and Allegan counties in Michigan.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America.
On April 20, 2020, USDA announced the Department has received 172 applications for $1.57 billion in Round Two of the ReConnect Program. The second round will enable USDA to implement innovative new solutions to rural connectivity by leveraging financial options with our partners and continuing the success of the first round of funding. The application window for Round Two closed on April 15.
In Round One of the ReConnect Program, USDA invested $698 million to bring high-speed broadband e-Connectivity to approximately 167,000 households, 17,000 rural small businesses and farms, and more than 500 health care centers, educational facilities and critical community facilities located in 33 states. To learn more about individual investments, read USDA’s Broadband ReConnect Program report (PDF, 4 MB).
USDA received 11 Round Two ReConnect Program applications that are eligible for the $100 million Congress allocated to the program through the CARES Act.
To learn more about ReConnect Program eligibility, technical assistance and recent announcements, visit www.usda.gov/reconnect.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
I beg you, please open up your Reconnect Expansion to Sweet Lake Drive in Gobles, it’s just off CR390 or Baseline, 36th connects those two roads and we are off 36th; all within 1-3 miles of each other. I see the map and we are missed by just a few miles! I work from home and have a child who is on virtual school.
Quick background:
I wanted to purchase (our now) home summer of 2018, but I was starting a work from home job and needed a good ISP. I called Spectrum Charter, (who lied to me) and said they checked my physical address (that I gave them) Rep. said “yep, just call at the time you hook up”. So I, purchased what I thought was my dream home, called for service to be told they couldn’t service us-“sorry”.
I called DirectTV, they cannot service us bc they have a cap/limit and are at there…
We currently have had HughesNet (satellite) it doesn’t work well and its like a mobile phone data plan, we cannot keep paying for extra data just to work or go to school. We have been going round and round with Bloomingdale Communications Reps who kept telling me, soon we will be able to offer service, just keep calling back and checking.
Just yesterday, first time someone told me about this form for Reconnections. I have been waiting, calling, and crying for 2.5 years, Please help!
Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately Sweet Lake Drive is not within our ReConnect Areas.