NEWS
RELEASE
United States Department
of Agriculture • Rural Development
3001 Coolidge Rd. • 2nd Floor North • Suite 200 • East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 324-5204 • Fax: (517) 324-5225 •
alec.lloyd@mi.usda.gov
Contact: Alec Lloyd
(517) 324-5204
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces the Availability of Funding To Enhance Education and Health Care in Rural Areas
WASHINGTON, March 22, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that funding is available through USDA’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program (DLT) to increase educational opportunities and expand access to health care services in rural areas.
"As President Obama said in his State of the Union address, ‘In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential.’” said Vilsack. “By providing state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment to link students with teachers and patients with medical professionals, rural Americans, even those living hundreds of miles from a major population center, will have access to the best teachers and the best medical systems."
Since its creation in 1993, the DLT program has invested $306 million to fund more than 920 projects in 48 states and four territories. Funds may be used to acquire end-user telecommunications equipment such as videoconferencing equipment needed to provide distance learning and telemedicine services to rural communities.
Information on how to apply can be found in the March 19, 2010 Federal Register and the FY 2010 DLT Grant Program Application Guide (http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm). Applications must be received by May 18, 2010. Grant awards can range from a minimum of $50,000 up to a maximum of $500,000. This is a competitive grant program and funding is contingent upon applicants meeting program eligibility requirements and the conditions of the funding agreement. The funding is from USDA's annual budget and not the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Further information can be obtained by visiting USDA’s DLT website at http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm
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