SHAHEEN ANNOUNCES NEARLY $1 MILLION FOR BRETTON WOODS BROADBAND UPGRADES
(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen announced today that the Bretton Woods Telephone Company, Inc. has been awarded $985,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) Broadband Initiatives Program to bring high-speed Internet to communities that currently have little or no access to the technology. This funding is part of an initial $183 million investment of ARRA funds to expand broadband access in rural and underserved urban communities as announced today Vice President Joe Biden.
"Providing high-speed broadband services to New Hampshire's unserved and underserved regions is a crucial driver of economic recovery, creating jobs and enhancing our global competitiveness," said Shaheen. "I'm glad that the Bretton Woods Telephone Company will be able to use these funds to improve services, giving the region's businesses additional resources to survive these challenging economic times and thrive in the years ahead."
The Bretton Woods Telephone Company will use the funding to upgrade 386 homes and numerous local businesses to high speed internet service, including the Mount Washington Hotel. Expanding and upgrading New Hampshire's broadband infrastructure is important for economic development and job creation in rural communities hard hit by the recession. Broadband is also central to improving educational opportunities and delivering health care more efficiently.
Over the next 75 days, the Obama Administration will announce $2 billion in ARRA broadband grant and loan programs to bring high-speed Internet to communities that currently have little or no access to the technology. The Recovery Act calls for a $7.2 billion investment in broadband infrastructure, which will help create jobs, spur economic opportunity, and open communities to information that would be otherwise unavailable.
For more information on this and other broadband programs, visit www.broadbandusa.gov.
