Press Releases

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has awarded Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative a $10,289,000 loan. The funding will support smart grid technologies, backbone fiber and improve 68 miles of line benefiting Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Montgomery and Roanoke Counties. U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:

“Communities in rural Virginia are eager to get more plentiful access to broadband services.

“This USDA Rural Development loan for more than $10.2 million helps Craig-Botetourt Electric Coop improve broadband service to individuals, businesses and farms in the rural communities they serve.”

BACKGROUND

The funding is made available through the USDA Rural Development Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program, which finances the construction of electric distribution, transmission, and generation facilities, including system improvements and replacement required to furnish and improve electric service in rural areas, as well as demand side management, energy conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems.

Other counties supported by Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative include Alleghany County in Virginia and Monroe County in West Virginia.

Congressman Griffith has advocated for greater access to broadband in the Ninth District, recently speaking in a Communications & Technology Subcommittee hearing with an official from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as well as monitoring and encouraging approval of Virginia’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program submitted by Governor Youngkin.

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