[August 05, 2010] U.S. Agriculture Department chooses six Oklahoma projects for broadband funds Tweet WASHINGTON, Aug 05, 2010 (The Oklahoman - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A northeastern Oklahoma telephone company won a $42 million grant and loan award from the U.S Department of Agriculture on Wednesday to provide broadband service in rural parts of the state. The project was one of six Oklahoma broadband projects chosen in the latest round of stimulus-backed awards to expand Internet service in the nation. Cimarron Telephone Co., based in Mannford, will use the money -- divided evenly between a grant and a loan -- to upgrade to fiber optic cable in Creek, Osage, Pawnee, Payne and Okfuskee counties and build a wireless broadband network to serve parts of the northeastern Oklahoma area known as Green Country. Operation Slingshot Cimarron's Operation Slingshot project will affect nearly 10,000 homes and businesses and provide communities with high-speed connections critical to their economic development, the company said. "This is an exciting opportunity for Cimarron and, most importantly, the communities and customers we serve," said Gene Baldwin, general manager of Cimarron. "Receiving these funds allows us to upgrade our networks to provide our customers with the ability to access not only the latest technologies, but the technologies of the future as well." Baldwin said a starting date for the work has not been set, but that it would add jobs. Jobs to be created The announcement on Wednesday was part of the ongoing process of allocating stimulus funding from the USDA and the U.S. Department of Commerce earmarked for broadband service expansion. Other Oklahoma projects have received grants announced previously. Much of the Oklahoma expansion chosen for awards on Wednesday will come in eastern Oklahoma. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced 126 projects on Wednesday worth $1.2 billion. "The Obama Administration understands that bringing broadband to rural America provides a gateway for businesses and key anchor institutions -- such as libraries, schools, public safety and community centers -- to provide services to thousands of Americans," Vilsack said. "These projects will create jobs building these networks, and the completed systems will provide a platform for rural economic growth for years to come." To see more of The Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]