Lovelock, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined USDA Rural Development Director Lucas Ingvoldstad, Lovelock Mayor Mike Giles, Pershing County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Heidi Lusby, Pershing County Commissioner Shayla Hudson, and representatives from Kromer Investments and Uprise Fiber in Lovelock to discuss her efforts to improve broadband access in rural Nevada, including a recent $27.1 million grant she helped secure for Lovelock and the surrounding areas. The Senator spoke with local community members who have pushed for increased access to reliable broadband to help their businesses and families.
The funding Senator Cortez Masto secured will help Uprise Fiber launch a network to connect 4,884 people, 130 businesses, 22 farms, and 7 public schools across rural Nevada to high-speed internet, and it will fully launch this fall.
“Every Nevadan deserves access to reliable, high-speed internet, which is why I fought to deliver this funding to help Pershing County connect more families and businesses to broadband,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’ve championed programs throughout my time in the Senate to help connect all of Nevada to the internet, and I’ll keep working to make sure our students, families, and small business owners have the resources they need to get online.”
“USDA’s investments in high-speed internet reflect the goals of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our economy,” said Lucas Ingvoldstad, USDA Rural Development Nevada State Director. “That means every community, no matter how remote or rural, sees better, broader opportunities. We are proud to partner on this project for Lovelock and look forward to seeing increased access to high-speed internet throughout the community and the associated opportunities for economic growth.”
Through her Innovation State Initiative, Senator Cortez Masto has led in the Senate to improve broadband access and strengthen Nevada’s economy. She helped secure more than $416 million to expand broadband access statewide through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and she worked to ensure Nevada would receive more funding by pushing the administration to update their National Broadband Map to accurately reflect the state’s broadband needs. In 2020, she passed her bipartisan ACCESS BROADBAND Act to ensure Nevadans in underserved urban and rural communities have easier access to federal broadband programs. Cortez Masto passed legislation creating the Rural Council for Economic Development to boost local investment and then made sure to include Nevada in the Rural Partners Network to help rural areas like Pershing County access the federal resources they need to grow, including broadband.
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