The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. It is an operating unit of the

USDA Rural Development USDA Rural Development (RD) is a mission area within the United States Department of Agriculture which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural parts of the United States. Rural Development has a loan portfolio o ...

agency of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

(USDA). It was created in 1935 as the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

agency promoting rural electrification.

Overview

The RUS administers the following programs: * Water and Environmental: provides financial assistance for drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste and storm drainage facilities in rural areas and communities with a population of 10,000 or less. * Electric Programs: help maintain, expand, upgrade and modernize the rural electric infrastructure. It also supports demand-side management, energy efficiency and conservation programs, and on- and off-grid renewable energy systems. * Telecommunications: helps deploy the rural telecommunications infrastructure.

Financial assistance

A total of 890 rural electric and 800 rural telecommunications utilities in 47 states,

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, the

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, the Marshall Islands, the

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, and the

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have received financial assistance. Approximately 7,200 rural communities are served through financial assistance received from water and waste loans and grants. In 2023, RUS was in charge of the ReConnect Program; this Biden administration program is overseen by the Agriculture Department to expand broadband Internet access to rural parts of America, including the

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Rural Electrification Administration

The RUS originated with the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), one of the agencies created under the New Deal in 1935 to promote

rural electrification Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural communities are suffering from colossal market failures as the national grids fall short of their demand for electricity. As of 2019, 770 million ...

. The REA was created by

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...

on May 11, 1935, by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. Enacted the following year, the Rural Electrification Act provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve rural areas of the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. lagged behind Europe in providing electricity to rural areas. In 1934, less than 11% of U.S. farms had electricity. That same year, in France and Germany, nearly 90% of farms had electricity. Backed by the 1936 Rural Electrification Act the REA gave loans and other help to rural organizations setting up their own power systems and was one of the

's most successful programs. By 1937, hundreds of new municipal power utilities were created nationwide. In 1939, 288,000 households had their electricity provided by rural electric cooperatives. Most of these electric co-ops had applied for and received loans from REA. By 1942, nearly 50% of US farms had electricity, and by 1952 almost all US farms had electricity. In 1949, the REA became authorized to provide loans to rural telephone cooperatives. Under the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 the REA was absorbed by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

References

External links

* {{Authority control Government agencies established in 1935 1935 establishments in the United States Energy in the United States Rural development in the United States New Deal agencies United States Department of Agriculture agencies Federal assistance in the United States Rural electrification in the United States

Overview

Financial assistance

Rural Electrification Administration

See also

References

External links