USDA ReConnect Grant

Delivering High-Speed Broadband To The Black Hills

The Project:

State-of-the-art, fiber internet is coming to five communities in the Black Hills, thanks to two multi-million dollar federal grants and a significant investment from SDN Communications.

See the map below for the approved routes and subscribe to our ReConnect Newsletter to receive updates on the project.

The Process:

  • Underway: Working with the Black Hills National Forest, State of South Dakota, Lawrence and Pennington Counties on the required permits
  • 2022 Spring: Begin fiber construction
  • Completion Goal: End of 2023
  • 2019 ReConnect Grant - USDA's Project Deadline: May 11, 2025
  • 2020 ReConnect Grant - USDA's Project Deadline: October 15, 2025

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION

2020 ReConnect Fiber Award Map

The Details:

Total Investment: $12.4 million

  • $9.3 million - USDA
  • $3.1 million - SDN Communications

85 Miles of Fiber

  • Average cost: $100,000 per mile

11 Monopoles

  • First-ever broadband monopoles built on South Dakota U.S. Forest Service land
  • Average cost: $250,000 each

Have questions? Email us.

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Keep Reading

News About ReConnect

  1. USDA Invests $3 Million in High-Speed Broadband with SDN Communications for Black Hills Communities
    U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the USDA is investing $3.3 million to provide broadband service in the unserved and underserved Black Hills South Dakota communities of Nemo, Rochford and Silver City.
  2. Black Hills fiber project is hopeful start of something bigger
    State-of-the-art, fiber internet is coming to three communities in the Black Hills, thanks to a $3.3 million federal grant and $1.1 million investment from SDN.
  3. Prospect of improved connectivity thrills Black Hills residents
    By the end of the 2021 construction season, people who live, work or play in the Nemo, Rochford and Silver City areas should begin experiencing the benefits of a $4.4 million, fiber-extension project that SDN is spearheading.
  4. USDA Awards $6 Million Grant to SDN for High-Speed Broadband in Rural SD
    ReConnect Funding to Connect 487 Rural Households to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity
  5. New grants will improve connectivity in the Black Hills and across S.D.
    The coming expansion of broadband connectivity in the northern Black Hills has businessman Matt Keck feeling joyful. “It’s like Christmas Day,” said Keck.