• Computer owners in rural areas can plug into broadband connections more easily if organizations tap into grants to pay for the technological infrastructure upgrades.48 Port Switch image by Phil2048 from Fotolia.com
  
  Broadband Internet connections are vital to communities' economic growth, education quality and public services. But telecommunications technology can be difficult for people in many rural areas to access, according to several federal agencies. Government departments such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce offer grants to rural communities to help them install broadband infrastructures. The grants, in many cases, are worth millions of dollars.
  
  

USDA Broadband Initiatives

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Services administers an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to expand broadband in rural areas. The Broadband Initiatives Program provides grants and loans to help communities update their Internet services. The Recovery Act earmarked $2.5 billion for the USDA as part of the broadband promotion.
  
  Broadband Initiatives Program
  
  Rural Utilities Service
  
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
  
  1400 Independence Ave., SW, Stop 1599
  
  Washington, DC 20250
  
  1-877-508-8364
  
  www.broadbandusa.gov
  
  

USDA Community Connect

• The USDA Office of Rural Development offers financial assistance to rural areas where "broadband service is least likely to be available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life," according to the office's website. The department says it offers the grants as a way for communities to use the advantages of the Internet to foster growth in business development, home ownership and infrastructure. The agency says it has provided more than $76.8 million and created more than 1.5 million jobs through the program since it began in 2001.
  
  USDA
  
  1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 5151
  
  Washington, DC 20250
  
  202-720-9556
  
  www.usda.gov/rus/telecom
  
  

USDA Distance Learning and Medicine

• The USDA targets its Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program specifically at rural areas. The department awards grants between $50,000 and $500,000 for schools and health care providers to connect with broadband. Recipients must match at least 15 percent of the grant totals. Schools and health care providers can use the grants to pay for equipment, programming, training and other technical assistance.
  
  USDA
  
  1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 5151
  
  Washington, DC 20250
  
  202-720-9556
  
  www.usda.gov/rus/telecom
  
  

DOC Broadband Technology Opportunities

• The U.S. Department of Commerce has a $4.7 billion stimulus money earmark for a program similar to the USDA's Broadband Initiative Program, the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. The program awards money to help rural areas and several other project areas, such as those involving public safety or disabilities. Awards can be worth tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars.
  
  Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
  
  1401 Constitution Ave., NW
  
  Washington, DC 20230
  
  202-482-2048
  
  www2.ntia.doc.gov
  
  

USAC Rural Health Care

• The Universal Service Administration Company provides grants to health care providers in rural areas to help them better reach patients through telemedicine. The company's Universal Service Fund offers the Rural Health Care Program. Along with providing money for reduced health care cost, the program offers money for health care providers to expand telecommunications and Internet services. Health care providers must be public or nonprofit.
  
  Universal Service Administrative Company
  
  Rural Health Care Program
  
  30 Lanidex Plaza West, P.O. Box 685
  
  Parsippany, NJ 07054
  
  1-800-229-5476
  
  www.usac.org/rhc
  
  

USAC Schools and Libraries

• The Universal Service Administrative Company targets grants specifically to schools and libraries, especially those in rural or low-income areas. The fund provides money for discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections and basic maintenance for internal connections. The USAC and its consultant, the Federal Communications Commission, evaluate schools and libraries based on their poverty levels and status as a rural or urban area.
  
  Universal Service Administrative Company
  
  Schools and Libraries Program
  
  P.O. Box 7026
  
  Lawrence, KS 66044-7026
  
  1-888-203-8100
  
  www.usac.org/sl