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Press Release

Upton Announces $1.936 Million to Spur Broadband Deployment in St. Joseph County
U.S. Department of Agriculture loan will boost Three Rivers-based company’s efforts to bring affordable, high speed Internet access to area residents and businesses

WASHINGTON , DC – Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $1,936,000 Rural Utilities Service (RUS) loan to Three Rivers-based Rural Communications. The USDA loan will allow Rural Communications to expand its current wireless broadband network in St. Joseph County and also solidify the Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform for the county, allowing residents and local officials to make phone calls over the Internet.

“I applaud Gerald Ludwick and all the folks at Rural Communications for their efforts and vision in ensuring all the residents of St. Joseph County have access to broadband technology,” said Upton . “This USDA loan will provide a great boost in enhancing affordable access to broadband, all the while introducing VoIP capabilities to the county. It is essential that our rural communities have access to the same life-changing technologies as our big cities.”

The $1.936 million loan will allow Rural Communications to expand its current wireless broadband network to serve the communities of Burr Oak, Colon , Constantine , Centreville, Mendon, Sturgis, Three Rivers , White Pigeon, Marcellus, Schoolcraft, Florence , Nottawa, Fabius and Lockport . Rural Communications, a telecommunications leader in St. Joseph County , also recently launched wireless, high-speed Internet access at the court house in Centreville, ensuring everyone involved in the judicial process has access to the convenience of wireless Internet.

“The acquisition of this USDA loan promises to solidify the vision that we put in place for St. Joseph County over two years ago,” said Gerald Ludwick, President of Rural Communications. “Moving forward we are confident that the relationship we have developed with the RUS Program will build a foundation on which Rural Communications can provide infrastructure to support and bring business to St. Joseph County .”

The USDA’s RUS programs touch the lives of tens of millions of rural Americans daily. Through project financing and technical assistance, RUS builds infrastructure to provide rural businesses and households with modern telecommunications, electricity, and water. These programs help rural residents gain access to new and advanced services, technology and job opportunities.

“These investments are bringing new economic opportunity and a better quality of life to rural communities,” said Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman regarding the RUS loan. “These loans are part of President Bush’s efforts to expand universal access to broadband technologies to every home in America by the year 2007.”

Since the beginning of the Bush Administration, over $3.2 billion in telecommunication funding has provided more than a million rural homes and businesses with access to high speed broadband connections. USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. As a venture capital entity, Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure.

Contact for Gerald Ludwick, President of Rural Communications : 269-273-4148

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