The Department of Agriculture (USDA) made its first investment under its ReConnect pilot program to support broadband availability, offering $2.85 million to a local service provider in Tennessee, the department announced October 18.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today launched a new webpage highlighting the importance of rural e-connectivity, as well as ways USDA is helping to deploy high-speed broadband infrastructure in rural America.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced last Thursday that the agency is awarding a $2.9 million grant to fund e-Connectivity investments in rural Marion County, Ala.