After a highly competitive process, Pioneer Connect of Philomath has been awarded $24,952,007 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the third round of funding for the ReConnect program.
This ReConnect 3 grant will bring Fiber-to-the-Home to 1,528 locations in Benton, Lincoln and Polk counties. Nearly 300 miles of fiber will be constructed to provide increased speeds and enhanced reliability, eliminating many challenges faced by members of these communities.
Jim Rennard, general manager of Pioneer Connect, said, “High-speed broadband fosters economic development, allows rural communities to remain vibrant and enables people to work and live wherever they choose.”
Telehealth, remote learning and changes in working arrangements all require broadband access, Rennard said. “This project will make all this possible. Building fiber in rural areas is challenging due to the terrain and expense of infrastructure. Fiber is the gold-standard and enables Pioneer to meet our members’ broadband needs for decades to come.
“Fiber-to-the-Home means our customers don’t have to make compromises on speed or quality, share a connection with their neighbors, or worry about things that impact service like weather, trees, or terrain with other technologies,” added Rennard. “This Reconnect 3 award allows us to begin building this gold-standard network for our members today.”
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.