Community connect grant

On September 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) awarded a $5 million Project Grant under the Community Connect Grant Program (CFDA 10.863) to Wabash Telephone Cooperative Inc., a tax-exempt cooperative based in Louisville, Illinois. The grant funds a two-year broadband infrastructure project with an ultimate completion date of September 16, 2027. The primary deliverable is the deployment of high-speed broadband internet service meeting or exceeding 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream to all premises in Louisville, Illinois, a rural, economically challenged community currently lacking adequate connectivity.

The cooperative will utilize the grant funding to construct broadband network infrastructure and establish community centers that will provide free broadband access to residents for a minimum of two-year period following deployment. Additionally, the project includes connection of critical community facilities to the broadband network. This award represents the RUS's continued support for rural broadband expansion and reflects Wabash Telephone Cooperative Inc.'s established capacity as a qualified service provider, evidenced by its receipt of approximately $29.3 million in prior RUS grants since 2021 across multiple broadband infrastructure programs.