Rural broadband projects from South Carolina to Alaska will receive a total of $85.8 million in grants and loans to construct or upgrade internet service, said the USDA. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack likened internet service to the arrival of electrical service decades ago, and said “broadband is fundamental to expanding economic opportunity and job creation in rural areas.” The department said it approved $74.8 million in loans, including $12.4 million to FTC Communications in South Carolina to upgrade its wireless network to 4G/LTE levels. The department also announced $11 million in Community Connect grants, including $1.4 million to the Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative to provide high-speed Internet service to Point Hope and to prepare for an undersea fiber connection.