High-speed broadband internet is headed to Lovelock.
It's part of the USDA's ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.
It provides funding for grants and loans for companies to expand broadband access to rural communities.
One company saw the need in Lovelock and applied for a grant back in March.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Reno for the announcement, along with former Nevada Governor and current UNR President Brian Sandoval.
The USDA will now provide more than $27 million to help get folks out there connected to high speed services.
“What we're going to be doing is delivering a network that can deliver 10 gigs. the average internet speed right now is about six megabits per second so this is going to be hundreds of times faster than they have,” Uprise Fiber Sam Sanders.
Uprise Fiber says they will be building out every single home, business, and government facility basically from the Toulon exit on I-80 to Rye Patch Reservoir.
To be eligible for ReConnect Program funding, an applicant must serve an area where high-speed internet service speeds are lower than 100 megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 20 Mbps (upload). The applicant must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service at speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in its proposed service area.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov
