Round 3 of Reconnect Starting November 24

Round 3 of the highly successful Reconnect program is getting ready to take off with open application date of November 24th and lasting through February 22, 2022. The announcement https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/25/2021-23128/rural-econnectivity-program again sets out the guidelines for a mix of loans and grants to help close the digital divide in the rural areas of the United States. This is key as we look at big things like precision agriculture, smart energy generation and disbursed manufacturing, it’s also critical in providing telehealth and ensuring that all those in rural schools have the same access to resources and learning tools as their urban counterparts. Having reviewed many of these applications in the past two rounds, I can honestly say that high speed connectivity is going into many locations where sometimes it’s hard just to make a call on you mobile phone. I’m excited for the future development that will take place across America. https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/usda_rus_reconnectfactsheet.pdf

One thing of particular note for this next round is that the speed requirement is now 100Mbs symmetrical which is higher than the 25x3 previously used. As per the FOA:

v. System requirements (7 CFR 1740.3(a)(2)). Facilities proposed to be constructed with award funds must be capable of delivering 100 Mbps symmetrical service to every premise in the proposed funded service area (PFSA). Please note that capable of delivering 100 Mbps symmetrical service to every premise means that all premises in the PFSA must be able to receive this service at the same time.