The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday it will provide $10.6 million to improve access to high-speed internet in parts of rural Idaho, according to a press release from the department.

The funding is part of the ReConnect Program, which offers loans, grants and loan-grant combinations to improve broadband access in rural parts of the country, according the the USDA’s website.

“These ReConnect Program investments will be a major boost to small businesses that want to grow,” {span}USDA Rural Development Idaho State Director Rudy Soto{/span} said in the release. “They’ll assist communities in recruiting and retaining employees and help rural residents needing better access to educational and health care services. Elmore, Blaine, Custer, and Boise counties will soon connect to high-speed internet.”

The Midvale Telephone Company, based in Midvale, Idaho, will receive a loan through the program to install a fiber-to-home network, the press release said. This will connect 455 people, 39 businesses and 69 farms to high-speed internet in Elmore, Blaine, Custer and Boise counties.

The company will also serve people in Pinal County in Arizona.

The agriculture department is planning additional investments later this summer as part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law, the release said. It includes $65 billion for expanding affordable, high-speed internet to communities across the U.S.

Thursday’s announcement was part of a group or projects that will be funded, totaling $401 million to provide high-speed internet to 31,000 rural residents in 11 states, according the the department’s website.

To learn more about the department’s resources and investments or rural areas, visit rd.usda.gov.

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