[March 08, 2010] RECOVERY FUNDS AT WORK Rep. Charlie Wilson Announces Rural Broadband Project Tweet Mar 08, 2010 (Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Charlie Wilson (OH-6) today announced that a project to benefit Athens County has been selected to receive a broadband loan and grant funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "Expanding small businesses and creating jobs are the keys to our economic recovery and it's tough to do that without expanding broadband," Rep. Charlie Wilson (OH-6) said. "This is the second Recovery announcement in as many days about expanding broadband to the Athens area. I continue to be excited about how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is improving our area," Wilson said. The project is known as Intelliwave: The Athens, Fairfield, and Pickaway County Ohio Rural Broadband Initiative Project. It will receive a $1,162,599 loan and a $1,116,997 grant. The funding will provide affordable wireless broadband and Voice-Over-IP phone service to underserved rural Ohio communities in Athens, Fairfield, and Pickaway counties. Under the Recovery Act, Congress provided USDA $2.5 billion in funding to assist applicants to bring broadband services to rural communities. To date, $895.6 million has been provided to support 55 broadband projects in 29 states or territories. "These broadband projects will provide rural America access to the tools it needs to attract new businesses, educational opportunities and jobs," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "The Obama Administration understands that bringing broadband to rural America is an economic gateway for people, business owners, and key institutions - such as libraries, hospitals, public safety buildings and community centers. Broadband is important for rural communities to remain strong in the 21st Century." President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Feb. 17, 2009. It is designed to jumpstart the nation's economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need. More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the Recovery Act is available at www.recovery.gov. #DAL1234# [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]