On January 14, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), along with U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that is instrumental in improving access to broadband service in Mississippi and the rest of rural America.
The Middle Mile for Rural America Act proposes a five-year (2026-2031) reauthorization of the middle-mile infrastructure program to help connect rural communities to high-speed internet.
“If we’re going to ensure reliable, high-speed broadband service to people in rural areas, we must look at the whole, which includes critical middle-mile projects,” said Senator Hyde-Smith. “This is a small, but significant USDA program that fills a gap to help ensure reliable and affordable service for rural homes and businesses. I expect this reauthorization to be approved so that electric cooperatives, like those in Mississippi, can continue their work to expand broadband service.”
“High-speed internet isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Senator Slotkin. “By strengthening USDA support for targeted broadband projects, this bipartisan bill helps lower costs and bring reliable, high-speed internet to rural Michigan and communities across the country, so people can work, learn, and stay connected.”
The 2018 Farm Bill expanded the authority of the USDA Rural Utilities Service to fund loans, loan guarantees, and grants for stand-alone middle-mile broadband projects, which previously could only be supported indirectly as part of last-mile projects.