Ana G. Méndez University System gets $464K from USDA
The Ana G. Méndez University System has been selected to receive a $463,862 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to replace analog microwave radio transmitters with digital radio transmitters, Rural Development State Director for Puerto Rico José Otero said Wednesday.
The funding is part of a global sum of $216 million in grants and loans that the federal agency approved for participants of its Community Connect Grant program, the Public Television Digital Transition Grant program and the Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan programs.
Community Connect grants establish broadband service in rural areas to boost economic growth and offer educational, health care, social and public safety benefits. Public television grants help public television stations serving rural areas acquire the equipment they need to transition from analog to digital broadcasts. Telecommunications infrastructure loans help maintain, upgrade or expand rural telecommunications networks.
“USDA is committed to ensuring that rural Americans have robust broadband and telecommunication systems,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “The investments we are announcing today will provide broadband in areas that lack it, help public television stations begin using digital broadcasts, and support other telecommunications infrastructure improvements.”
This is the second grant the Ana G. Méndez University system has received from the federal agency this year. In January, the private college was awarded a $566,505 grant to buy digital equipment to deliver educational, social and cultural planning to remote locations.
