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Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces a Recovery Act Broadband Initiative to Bring

Economic Opportunity to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and Parts of Two States

Announcement Completes Round One of USDA Recovery Act Broadband Funding—More Than 529,000
households and 96,000 rural business in 31 States and one Territory to Benefit

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2010 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection
of the Reservation Telephone Cooperative infrastructure broadband project to give rural residents of the
Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and the surrounding area access to improved economic and educational
opportunities. The service area includes parts of Montana and North Dakota. Today’s announcement
concludes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first round of broadband funding announcements through
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). Applications filed under the second and
final round are under review and will be announced before the end of the 2010 fiscal year.

“The Recovery Act broadband projects announced by USDA will open up educational, job and business
opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Americans living in rural areas,” said Vilsack. “As President
Obama said earlier this month, ‘America today is on the verge of a broadband-driven Internet era that will
unleash innovation, create new jobs and industries, provide consumers with new powerful sources of
information, enhance American safety and security, and connect communities in ways that strengthen our
democracy.’ I am pleased that USDA, with funds provided through the Recovery Act, is leading this
effort in rural parts of our country.”

Today’s announcement provides a $10.95 million loan and a $10.95 million grant to the Reservation
Telephone Cooperative to provide service in the remote and rural areas in and around the Fort Berthold
Indian Reservation. The project will bring broadband service to homes, businesses, schools and libraries.
In addition, service will be provided to tribal government facilities which provide tribal child support,
education assistance, employment assistance, health care and public safety services on the reservation.
The area has experienced poverty rates as high as 28 percent and a 40 percent unemployment rate.

To date, $1.067 billion has been invested by USDA through the Recovery Act for 68 broadband
projects. Together, the projects will make high speed Internet available to an estimated 529,000
households and 96,000 rural business and public facilities across 31 states, one territory and 17 tribal
lands and predominantly Alaska Native regions. Many of the areas to be served are extremely remote,
sparsely populated and in some cases not connected by roads. Secretary Vilsack and other cabinet
officials visited some of the communities that will receive broadband Internet access during a “Rural
Tour” last year. Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan, grant or
loan/grant agreement.
 President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Feb. 17,
2009. It is designed to jumpstart the nation’s economy, create or save millions of jobs, and help to bridge
the digital divide necessary to addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st
century. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, enhance energy
independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax
relief, and protect those in greatest need.

More information about USDA’s Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery .

More information about the Federal government’s efforts on the Recovery Act is available at
www.recovery.gov .

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Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202)
720-6382 (TDD).