Community connect grant

The Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service awarded Citizens Telephone Coop a Community Connect Grant (CFDA 10.863) of $1,779,033 on September 16, 2025, to deploy broadband transmission service in rural communities where such service does not currently exist and to connect critical community facilities. Citizens Telephone Coop, a tax-exempt cooperative based in Floyd, Virginia, will perform the work in Floyd, VA 24091. The award period runs through September 16, 2027. The Community Connect Grant Program awards grants competitively to eligible applicants—including incorporated organizations, Indian tribes, state or local government units, cooperatives, and private corporations or limited liability companies on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis—that demonstrate capacity to own and operate broadband facilities. Grant recipients typically have three years to expend funds, with extensions available; disbursements are advanced monthly or as needed to reimburse approved grant purposes.