6,000+ Rural Locations to Receive Fiber Internet
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s ReConnect Program provides loans and grants to construct, improve or acquire facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to the USDA for this program and on February 20, 2020, it was announced that STRATA Networks was selected to receive a $23.7 million loan-grant to build an all fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network to more than 3,000 businesses, farms, and homes spread over more than 400 square miles of the Uintah Basin.
The program has been so successful that Congress allocated an additional $550 million to a second round of funding to be distributed through the ReConnect Program. On August 11, 2022, the USDA announced that STRATA was awarded a $24.5 million grant to deploy a FTTH network to an additional 3,472 households, 32 businesses, and 39 farms.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
In order to qualify for the USDA ReConnect funding, locations must be receiving insufficient broadband service as defined by USDA. For this particular program, insufficient broadband service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload. STRATA identified areas within its service territory that met the program definition and applied for those specific areas. With both Round 1 and Round 2 awards, over 6,000 locations have been approved to receive fiber internet through this funding.
*Red represents the areas in the Round 1 Award and Orange represents the areas in the Round 2 Award. The locations on this map may contain errors or omissions and some addresses may not be reflected accurately. For questions, please call (435) 622‑5007.
Is my home or business one of the areas funded by the USDA ReConnect program?
Between both awards received, there are more than 6,000 locations included in these project areas. These locations include all of the areas included in the map above.
When will STRATA improve my internet service?
STRATA continues to expand its fiber network by adding more than 1,000 locations each year for the last several years, and these efforts will continue in many areas outside of the ReConnect funded areas. Today, there are more than 10,000 locations with access to fiber optics and speeds up to 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps. In areas where fiber is not yet available STRATA deploys a variety of alternative broadband technologies to provide the best broadband service which is feasible today. To express interest in fiber internet, you can also register your address at connect.stratanetworks.com.
What internet speeds will customers receive upon completion of the project?
The ReConnect program requires a technology that can deliver a simultaneous transmission speed of no less than 100 Mbps, but with fiber optics, speeds of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), which is equivalent to 1,000 Mbps, will be available as soon as the projects are completed. In other words, customers will have access to some of the fastest internet speeds available anywhere.
When will my location receive this new and improved service?
STRATA is ready to initiate construction as soon as a notice to proceed is granted by USDA. STRATA is currently awaiting approval on environmental studies to begin construction in the areas included with the Round 1 award and is hopeful that it will begin soon. Construction for Round 2 areas can take place concurrently with Round 1 construction; but the same environmental work will need to take place prior to building to those areas. The ReConnect program requires that STRATA complete the project in no more than five years after awards have been announced.
Will STRATA continue to improve internet service in other parts of the Uintah Basin?
Yes. For the last several years STRATA has focused on expanding the number of fiber to the home (FTTH) locations by more than 1,000 additional locations each year. Today, more than 10,000 locations are connected to fiber. With the USDA ReConnect funding, STRATA anticipates this number to grow to more than 1,600 new fiber locations each year. Additionally, STRATA will continue to invest in and leverage alternative technologies on copper, coaxial cable, and wireless to improve internet speeds until fiber is made available.
On February 20, 2020, USDA Deputy Undersecretary DJ LaVoy for Rural Development made the announcement that STRATA has been selected to receive a loan-grant combination as part of Round 1 of their ReConnect program. The announcement was made at Big Run Ranches in Whiterocks, UT - one of the thousands of locations that will be benefited by these funds.