Twenty-plus Definitions of 'Rural' Confusing, Officials Acknowledge
A glut of definitions for “rural” can complicate the process of applying for broadband grants and loans, federal officials acknowledged Monday. "The government doesn't make it easy by having some sort of universal definition," said NTIA External Affairs Director Aimee…
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Meacham, moderating a panel on broadband financing at NTIA’s Digital Northwest regional broadband summit in Seattle (see 1603210049). Carol Mattey, deputy chief of the FCC Wireline Bureau, said: "There's more than 20 definitions of rural in federal funding programs. Even within the universal service funding programs themselves, we have different definitions for one program versus another, and it's very arcane." Keith Adams, Rural Utilities Service assistant administrator, noted differences in the definition of rural among programs at RUS. While “traditional” RUS programs define rural as communities with 5,000 or fewer people, the Farm Bill Broadband Loan Program defines rural as communities with 20,000 people or fewer, he said.