BISMARCK (CSi)  U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp Friday announced a nearly $5 million federal loan to help expand and upgrade service and access to high-speed Internet in rural communities throughout Griggs County.

The $4.7 million loan to the Griggs County Telephone Company will specifically expand service in Binford and Cooperstown, upgrade the system’s four exchanges, and provide expanded voice, video, and data services to nearly 700 subscribers in Griggs County.

“Making sure our rural communities have the same opportunities as bigger towns and cities is absolutely needed, and one of the best ways to make that possible is through the build out of affordable and reliable high-speed Internet in rural areas,” said Heitkamp. “As the world becomes more connected by the day, access to high-speed Internet helps our students get a stronger education, enables workers to get the job training they need, and is a key part of our economic future. These funds are a welcome development for Griggs County and I’ll keep working to build out this infrastructure in small towns and communities all across North Dakota.”

The funds were made available through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation, which oversees the RUS at USDA, Heitkamp sought to make sure programs authorized through the RUS to expand high-speed Internet and promote tele-medicine remained in a strong position going forward. 

In April, Heitkamp met with John Padalino, then-Administrator of RUS, to stress the importance of building infrastructure to expand high-speed Internet in rural areas of the state. Additionally, Heitkamp visited with local North Dakota co-ops in March in Washington, D.C., many of which have benefited from RUS loans to help build high-speed Internet service and improve service for North Dakota consumers.

As part of her work crafting, debating, and passing the Farm Bill, Heitkamp highlighted the need for programs that help expand high-speed Internet not just in North Dakota, but all across rural America, which resulted in continued support for the RUS loan programs. In June, Heitkamp announced a more than $8.5 million federal loan to expand access to high-speed Internet for rural towns in Richland County.