{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-celebrates-rural-broadband-announcements-in-minnesota/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Rural Broadband Announcements in Minnesota", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/media/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced three grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide high-speed, reliable internet to residents in rural Minnesota. Over 5,000 people will benefit from these awards. Recipients include 139 different businesses and 368 farms across the state.\n\n\u201cInternet access is not just a luxury in the 21st century, it\u2019s a necessity,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cIn Minnesota and across the country, people in rural areas, small towns, and Tribal communities need access to reliable, high-speed internet. Investing in broadband infrastructure with the ReConnect Grant Program will help connect communities in every part of the country to high-speed internet and I am proud to have helped bring this funding back to Minnesota.\u201d\n\nThree organizations across Minnesota were awarded money:\n\nConsolidated Telephone Company \u2013 The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 67 businesses and 78 farms in Crow Wing and Morrison, and 2,831 people will benefit. They received $5,510,933 as a grant, and $5,510,933 as a loan.\n\nMiEnergy Cooperative \u2013 The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 55 businesses and 235 farms in Fillmore and Winona, and 2,255 people will benefit. They received $14,122,353 as a grant and $14,122,353 as a loan.\n\nRed River Rural Telephone Association \u2013 The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 17 businesses, 55 farms, and one school in Clay County, and 482 people will benefit. They received $5,166,742 as a grant.\n\nThe investment comes from USDA Rural Development\u2019s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and totals $44,433,314 for all three awards. ReConnect provides loans and grants to bring high-speed internet to rural areas that lack access to broadband.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-celebrates-rural-broadband-announcements-in-minnesota/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4683990739285946, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}