Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development, Roger Glendenning has announced that RUS will award two loans, totaling $19.3 million, to companies deploying broadband in rural portions of Illinois and Oklahoma. The larger of the two loan amounts was extended to Southern Plains Cable, LLC (SPC) of Oklahoma. SPC will use its $15.3 million loan to build a fiber-optic broadband network serving an area covering approximately 55 square miles and including the communities of Anadarko, Verden and Chickasha. The smaller loan amount, extended to Moultrie Independent Telephone Company (Moultrie) of Illinois and totaling $4 million, is targeted for upgrades to a portion of the company’s fiber-optic network. RUS provides economic opportunities to citizens and businesses in rural areas, and its various programs help improve infrastructure, start or expand businesses, help residents by homes, fund community facilities such as schools, improve public safety and health care facilities, and bring high-speed Internet access to rural areas of the country.
