The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in 2021 dedicates $65 billion for broadband funding which could be integral in closing the digital divide, particularly in rural areas. Nicol Turner Lee is joined by Xochitl Torres Small, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Rural Development. In this role, she champions rural people by helping small towns access the funding they need to make their communities more livable through infrastructure improvements, affordable housing, and modernizing essential facilities like schools, hospitals, health care centers, and public safety stations. Together, they discuss ongoing work to close the urban-rural digital divide, how IIJA funding has helped the USDA expand programs such as the ReConnect program, and how the USDA has been working to meet different communities’ hyperlocal needs.
