Recovery Act sends broadband funding to Utah

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday announced the funding of a new broadband infrastructure project in Utah.

The South Central Utah Telephone Association will receive about $9.2 million to build fiber-optic cable in the ground, making broadband access possible for state and national parks, as well as 7,200 people and about 250 businesses and institutions, according to a press release from the White House.

The telephone company has also gathered $3.1 million in outside capital.

Wednesday's announcement is part of the second round of U.S. Department of Agriculture broadband funding through the Recovery Act. In July, Central Utah Telephone Inc. received $2.5 million for a similar project.

In all, $1.2 billion will be invested in the 126 broadband infrastructure projects throughout the U.S., according to the release. An additional $117 million in private investment is expected to be leveraged, bringing the total funds invested to $1.31 billion.

— Rebecca Palmer