The U.S. Department of Agriculture, under the Trump administration, announced today a $1 million initiative designed to increase broadband internet access to residents of Indiana. 

This program is designed to address underserved communities and families, mainly rural communities, in Indiana that have had trouble gaining access to internet for years. As access to internet becomes more and more essential to function in a modern economy, this has become an increasingly important agenda for the Trump administration. 

Ted Mckinney, an official at the USDA, had this to say about the initiative: “In my conversations with our overseas trading partners, we often speak about the important role of innovation to global agriculture. But innovation depends on access to reliable, high-speed internet. I’m hopeful that investments such as ReConnect can help farmers operate more effectively and efficiently to deliver their products to those across Indiana –  and, indeed, across the world.”

The investment is sure to help family farmers and small, rural businesses that have long served as the backbone for the economy in states such as Indiana.