US rural residents received some good news this week. The Rural Blog reportsthat the network communications company Windstream has received $175 million to support internet use in the countryside. The money will go to support broadband for customers in 17 states, among them Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. The broadband support will allow rural customers to access fast internet speeds in areas where service might otherwise be prohibitive.
Iowa received the largest share of the total funds. Windstream declined funding for New Mexico, opening the gate for other companies to bid for that state’s allocated money. The funds will allow downloads of at least 10 Mbps. The new service will affect over 400 thousand homes nationwide