Staff report
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) introduced the ReConnecting Rural America Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that would permanently authorize and improve the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ReConnect Program, which delivers broadband internet to underserved rural communities. The legislation introduced on May 5 is co-led by Representatives Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Eric Sorensen (D-IL).
“In places like southern New Mexico, lack of broadband means a student falls behind in school, a rancher misses out on modern ag tools, or a senior can’t connect to telehealth services,” said Vasquez. “Every family and small business deserves access to high-speed internet, no matter their zip code. My bipartisan bill invests in the infrastructure rural communities need to stay connected, competitive, and healthy.”
According to a press release, almost one in four rural New Mexicans still lacks access to reliable broadband, cutting them off from critical services and opportunities that are increasingly dependent on digital access, including education, healthcare, agriculture and small business development.
“In our interconnected world, it is essential that American families and small businesses across the country have access to reliable high-speed internet no matter where they live,” Sorensen said. “The ReConnect Program helps do that by delivering affordable internet to rural communities that too often find themselves left behind. I’m proud to support bipartisan legislation that will improve this program to help our small businesses compete globally and ensure families can connect with loved ones, school, and health care providers.”
The ReConnecting Rural America Act of 2025 would codify and enhance the ReConnect Program within the Rural Electrification Act, establishing stronger minimum broadband speeds and ensuring federal support reaches the communities most in need of internet service upgrades. It addresses the disparities in internet connection by:
- Authorizing $650 million annually through 2030 for broadband deployment in unserved and underserved rural areas,
- Requiring a minimum broadband speed of 100 Mbps upload and 100 Mbps download,
- Focusing funding on areas where at least 75% of households lack access to 100/20 Mbps service,
- Allowing USDA to offer a mix of loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations,
- Prioritizing small, remote, and underserved rural communities, and
- Providing up to 100% grant funding for tribal areas, colonias, and other socially vulnerable or persistently poor communities.
The bill also supports the deployment of broadband for precision agriculture on cropland and ranchland and ensures that participating providers join affordability programs such as Lifeline or the Affordable Connectivity Program. It is endorsed by the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association and NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association.
“As small broadband providers in rural areas work tirelessly to bridge the digital divide, the ReConnect program has been an important resource to get the job done,” said Shirley Bloomfield, NTCA Rural Broadband Association CEO. “The ReConnecting Rural America Act improves upon this already successful program to better target funding where it is needed most, recognizes that experience matters when it comes to delivering rural broadband, and ensures that those in the most rural and hard to serve areas receive the same high-quality, high-speed broadband as those in urban areas. We greatly appreciate Representative Nunn for introducing this legislation today and thank him for his leadership on this critical issue.”
Text of the bill can be found here.