Concern for Community: High-speed Internet coming to Spar City
San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (SLVREC) was recently announced as the recipient of a $410,436 grant to deploy fiber-to-the-premises services in Spar City, Mineral County. This Community Connect Grant Program, administered by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), helps fund broadband deployment in rural communities where it is not yet economically viable for private-sector providers to deliver service.
The grants offer financial assistance to eligible service providers that will construct, improve, or expand broadband networks in rural areas. SLVREC’s subsidiary, Ciello, will use the grant to connect 35 cabins in Spar City to high-speed Internet.
“We are really excited to have the opportunity to bring world-class high-speed Internet to the community of Spar City,” said Ciello’s Chief Technology Officer Monroe Johnson. “We have been searching for a way to bring high-speed Internet to this community for some time. The Community Connect grant fits this situation perfectly. We are honored that our grant application was funded, and we are looking forward to bringing broadband service to the residents of Spar City.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andy Berke announced $63.8 million in awards through the Community Connect Program to provide high-speed Internet in 12 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has given USDA unprecedented funding to provide high-speed Internet to rural areas… that have been forgotten or left behind,” Administrator Berke said. “Rural Americans have enormous potential, but it’s very hard to reach your potential if you don’t have high-speed Internet. We are completely committed to making sure every person in rural America has high-speed Internet so they have new opportunities and a better chance to succeed.”
Community Connect Program Background
The Community Connect Program helps rural communities extend access where high-speed Internet service is least likely to be commercially available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for rural people and businesses. The projects funded by these grants help rural residents tap into the enormous potential of the Internet for jobs, education, healthcare, public safety and community development. Recipients of Community Connect awards use grant funds to equip community centers that provide free access to high-speed Internet service to area residents for at least two years.