The Recovery Act appropriated $7.2 billion and directed the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) http://www.usda.gov/rus/ and The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/ to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities across the U.S., increase jobs, spur investments in technology and infrastructure, and provide long-term economic benefits.