Sycamore Telephone gets $5M broadband grant

SYCAMORE — Sycamore Telephone Co. has received a $5 million federal ReConnect Loan to install fiber broadband service and provide high-speed internet. U.S. Department of Agriculture information released Monday said the project will benefit 38 people and four farms in Seneca, Crawford and Wyandot counties, and the company plans to make high-speed internet affordable by participating in the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program. The grant is part of $700 million to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in 22 states to high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program, funded by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law designed to fund the most difficult high-speed internet projects in the nation, which are the most rural, remote and unserved communities, a USDA news release said. Applicants to ReConnect Program funding must serve a rural area that lacks access to service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (mbps) download and 20 mbps upload. Applicants must commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service with speeds of 100 mbps (download and upload) to every location in the proposed service area. Additionally, to ensure that rural households can afford it, awardees are required to apply to participate in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Affordable Connectivity Program, which offers a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service to qualifying low-income households.