08.15.14

Hoeven Announces Nearly $5 Million USDA Loan for Fiber-to-Home Internet Service in Cooperstown, Binford

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding a $4.7 million loan for the Griggs County Telephone Company to deploy fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service in Cooperstown and Binford, N.D, enabling the delivery of expanded voice, video and data service in those communities. The funds are made available through the USDA’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program, which seeks to improve telecommunications service in rural areas through the improvement, expansion and operation of rural telephone and internet infrastructure.

“We have worked hard to promote economic growth across all industries in North Dakota, and as a result, our state has become a leader in high-tech industry,” said Hoeven. “We enjoy this success both because of the pro-business climate we implemented that encourages innovation, entrepreneurship and investment and due to the investments we make in our infrastructure. This loan supports our efforts to provide North Dakotans with the fastest internet access in the country, empowering them to better access education, healthcare and commerce.”

Next week, Senator Hoeven and the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce are hosting the 2014 State of Technology Conference in Fargo to highlight technological innovations in North Dakota’s key industries and to help the state’s businesses find ways to use technology to grow and increase success. The Dakota Fiber Initiative (DFI), which seeks to bring high-speed, low-cost internet access to all North Dakotans, arose out of a challenge made by Doug Burgum during the 2013 conference and stands as an example of the positive impact the annual conference is having in strengthening North Dakota’s position as a technology leader.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, Hoeven continues working to support rural development programs, which promote infrastructure investment in and help grow North Dakota’s rural communities. The senator also served on the Senate-House Conference Committee that negotiated the final version of the new five-year farm bill which reauthorized and strengthened programs in support of rural communities.