06.10.14

Hoeven Announces $8.5 Million Loan for Richland County Fiber Optic Network

Senator Working to Support Economic Growth in Rural Areas through Infrastructure Investment

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded an $8.5 million loan to the Red River Telephone Association for the construction of 145 miles of buried fiber optic cable in Richland and Clay counties, completing Red River’s Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) build-out for the North Dakota communities of Abercrombie, Colfax, Fairmount, Great Bend, Hankinson, Lidgerwood, Mooreton and Wyndmere.

“Our rural telecoms have worked hard to prepare our communities in North Dakota for a 21st Century economy and provide some of the fastest internet access in the country,” said Hoeven. “We’re working with them to support tools like this loan that help meet our residents’ infrastructure needs for education, healthcare and commerce to support continued economic growth throughout our state.”

Senator Hoeven serves as a member of both the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Through these positions, Hoeven has worked to authorize programs through the 2014 farm bill and secure funds through annual appropriations bills that support infrastructure development and economic growth in rural areas.