WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today welcomed the announcement of more than $30 million in new broadband infrastructure funding as a part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ReConnect Rural Development program. The funding will touch seven counties and deliver high-speed internet to an estimated 10,000 Mississippians. Wicker supported passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will provide an additional $65 billion for broadband internet infrastructure programs nationwide.

“Today is a good day for many Mississippians who do not have access to high-speed internet,” Wicker said. “These large investments from the USDA will help move Mississippi forward and ensure our state can compete economically for years to come. Rural broadband is a game-changer for our communities, and I look forward to the many more investments in our state that will be made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

The project grants announced by the USDA today include:

• $8.12M for Jasper and Smith Counties - Bay Springs Telephone Company will connect 1,123 people, nine businesses, and 57 farms to high-speed internet.
• $22.2M for Lawrence, Newton, Copiah, Simpson, and Scott Counties -  TEC of Jackson will deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network, connecting 9,770 people, 92 businesses, and 310 farms to high-speed internet.

Read more about Senator Wicker’s recent work on rural broadband access here.