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☆ Biden is pouring nearly $700 million into internet access for rural communities so that kids don't 'have to sit in the back of a mama's car in a McDonald's parking lot in order to do homework'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration announced nearly $700 million in funding for rural, high-speed internet projects. The funding comes from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which pours billions into internet access. That money funds, in part, the USDA's ReConnect program, which disburses loans and grants to programs intended to get rural communities online. "For too long, rural communities haven't had access to basic resources like affordable, reliable, high-speed internet," Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor to the president and White House infrastructure coordinator, said in a press call. According to 2018 Census data on internet use, Americans living in cities were more likely to have internet access than their rural counterparts: 86% of urban households had an internet subscription, compared to 81% for rural households.

Persons: Biden, Mitch Landrieu, it's, BroadBandNow, Landrieu Organizations: Biden, Service, White, Pew Research Center Locations: Wall, Silicon, haven't, Alaska, America

☆ China turns to rural tourism and smart appliances to boost consumption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

On Monday, the central government announced 20 measures to support tourism, as well as spur consumption of electric cars and so-called smart appliances. The support measures announced included an entire section on spurring rural consumption. Specifics included subsidizing trade-ins for purchase of smart household appliances, improving delivery services and promoting rural tourism. Median disposable income for rural households rose by 6.1% in the first half of the year from a year ago, official data showed. But at 8,920 yuan ($1,245) in disposable income, rural households only had about 40% of what urban households had to spend.

Persons: Yang Bo, Xu Hongcai, Li Chunlin, Li, Nomura, Xu, Wang Jun Organizations: China News Service, Getty, China Association of Policy, National Development, Reform Commission, CNBC, Boston Consulting Group, U.S . Authorities, Huatai Asset Management Locations: Nanjing, China, BEIJING, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ The Biden administration is giving entrepreneurs a chance at loans up to $5 million to help launch and grow businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

These efforts are meant to close capital access gaps for minority and rural small business owners. SBA loans, typically made by banks and other financial institutions, help entrepreneurs start and grow their small businesses. Fewer very small businesses have recently gotten loans, while startups have historically been viewed as risky by banks. Additionally, Black- and Hispanic-owned small businesses have a harder time securing credit than white-owned small businesses. Three nonbank lenders will be licensed to make SBA loans above $350,000, which some industry experts believe could make riskier loans.

Persons: Biden, Guzman, Han Nguyen Organizations: Business Administration, Service, Small, Administration, SBA, Entrepreneurs, Wall Street, Business Lending Company, Wall Street Journal Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ She’s sent postcards to herself for over 40 years. Here’s what she’s learned
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Debra Dolan was 21 and on her first solo trip when she first sent a postcard to herself. Over the decades, she’s sent hundreds of postcards to herself from trips across the world. “I felt the most free traveling, I felt the most independent traveling, I felt most myself traveling, my most grateful, always, traveling. And I think that’s what the postcards capture.”A life in postcardsDolan says all the postcards she's ever sent herself have arrived. Dolan’s always sent her postcards mid-trip, she never “cheats” and posts them once she’s back home in Canada.

Persons: Debra Dolan, Dolan, ” Dolan, “, ‘ I’ll, ’, –, hadn’t, I’d, ’ ”, Here's Dolan, Debra Dolan “, ”, twentysomething Dolan, she’s, they’ve, Dolan’s, I’ve, – Dolan, ” Debra Dolan Dolan’s, Debbie, Debra, Debra Dolan Dolan Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Opera, Coliseum Locations: Canada, Vancouver, Finland, Australia, Amsterdam, Vienna, Helsinki, Santiago, Fiji, Turkey, Rome

☆ RideTandem organizes transport for rural workers at companies like Lidl and Next. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck it used to raise $3 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The London-based startup just raised $3 million to grow the company and enter Germany. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck it used to raise the fresh funds. A mobility startup that organizes commuter bus routes for staffers at companies like supermarket chain Lidl, clothing retailer Next, and British postal service Royal Mail has raised £2.3 million (around $3 million) in fresh funds. Opportunities a 20-minute drive away are difficult to access for a person who can't drive or can't afford to drive, living in a town where the bus route has been cut, Shapland-Howes said. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck the startup used to raise the fresh funds.

Persons: Alex Shapland, Howes, RideTandem Organizations: Royal, Shapland, Employers, UN, Blackfinch Ventures, FirstMonday, Venture, Innovation Fund Locations: London, Germany, England

☆ A $12 phone is opening doors for rural India to get on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

All that could change with a new $12 phone from Reliance Jio this week. India is already the world's second-largest smartphone market and is likely to add 300 million new internet users, making it the fastest country to provide internet services to those who remain unconnected, Mishra said. "However, screen size can limit the experience a bit, but still good for first-time internet users." Reliance Jio has rolled out 5G services in 406 cities in India. Additionally, Singh highlighted that Reliance Jio hopes first-time internet users who purchase the Jio Bharat will eventually upgrade to more advanced phones down the road.

Persons: Mukherjee, Akash Ambani, Jio Bharat, Varun Mishra, Mishra, Navkendar Singh, Singh, Jio, Bharat, There's, Nikhil Batra, Batra, Research's Mishra Organizations: International Data Corporation, Afp, Getty, Reliance, Reliance Industries, Counterpoint Research, CNBC, Vodafone, Aditya Birla Group, Vodafone Group —, BSNL, IDC, Nurphoto, Macquarie Research, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Macquarie, Jio, Airtel Locations: India, Jio, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bihar, Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

☆ Sen. Tommy Tuberville voted against a bill that just gave his state $1.4 billion for rural broadband. He's celebrating it anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration announced Monday that Alabama will get $1.4 billion in broadband funding. Sen. Tommy Tuberville celebrated the news, calling the funding "crucial" for rural broadband. But he voted against the 2021 infrastructure bill that established the program he's now touting. "Coach voted against the infrastructure bill because it wasted Alabamians' tax dollars. He's advocated for including expanding rural broadband as part of an upcoming farm bill, and he introduced legislation earlier this year to shield broadband grants from being taxed as income.

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville, —, Republican Sen, Tuberville, I've, Terri Sewell, Terri A, Sewell, Steven Stafford, Stafford, He's Organizations: Biden, Alabama, Service, Republican, Broadband Equity, Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Infrastructure Law, White House, Democratic, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy Locations: Alabama

☆ Dreaming of life on a remote island? Ireland will pay you almost $100,000 to move to one
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Moving to a remote island in Ireland could secure you a cash grant — but there are conditions. If you've ever dreamed of leaving everything behind and living on a remote island, now might be your chance. Ireland will give you a grant of up to 84,000 euros ($92,297) if you settle one of the country's coastal islands. Between 1996 and 2016, the population of the islands covered by the policy was found to have fallen by 12.8%. Improving infrastructure and increasing job opportunities, including the option for remote work, are also part of the 10-year plan, she added.

Persons: you've, —, Heather Humphreys Locations: Ireland

☆ Ireland will pay people up to $92,000 to move to idyllic remote islands — but there are a few catches
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ireland offers generous cash grants for those who want to live on remote islands off its western coast. To meet the funding criteria, people must buy property on one of the idyllic islands. The new initiative will come into effect on July 1. However, a person must own property on one of the islands built before 1993 that has been vacant for at least two years. Something else to consider is that while anyone can own property in Ireland, that doesn't necessarily guarantee the right to live in the country, according to CNN.

Persons: —, Esther Moliné, Heather Humphreys Organizations: Service, Rural, Community, CNN Locations: Donegal, Arranmore, Ireland

☆ UPS will stop delivering to some rural neighborhoods as often, as it looks to slash costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

UPS is piloting making less frequent deliveries in rural areas, the company confirmed to Insider. UPS is experimenting with delivering on fewer days per week in very rural areas, the company confirmed to Insider. The pilot will cover roughly 1% of zip codes, a UPS spokesperson said, noting that most UPS customers won't be affected. UPS has been adding surcharges on top of more and more rural packages in recent years to offset these costs. But that work started with rural packages where having separate facilities and staff makes even less financial sense.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Rural electric cooperatives, utilities, and other energy providers will soon be able to apply for nearly $11 billion in grants and loans for clean energy projects, funded by the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act signed into law last August, the Biden administration said on Tuesday. Expanding clean energy to rural communities is critical to meeting the administration's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, officials told reporters on a Monday press call. Rural electric cooperatives will be eligible to apply beginning July 31 for $9.7 billion in grants for deploying renewable energy, zero-emission, and carbon capture systems, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. Rural electric cooperatives serve 42 million people and draw about 22% of their energy from renewable sources, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The new funds will help rural electric cooperatives reach parity with private utility companies who have already begun significant investment in clean energy, Vilsack told reporters.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Rural electric cooperatives, utilities, and other energy providers will soon be able to apply for nearly $11 billion in grants and loans for clean energy projects, funded by the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act signed into law last August, the Biden administration said on Tuesday. Expanding clean energy to rural communities is critical to meeting the administration's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, officials told reporters on a Monday press call. Rural electric cooperatives will be eligible to apply beginning July 31 for $9.7 billion in grants for deploying renewable energy, zero-emission, and carbon capture systems, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. The new funds will help rural electric cooperatives reach parity with private utility companies who have already begun significant investment in clean energy, Vilsack told reporters. Rural electric cooperatives serve 42 million people and draw about 22% of their energy from renewable sources, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Expanding work requirements for the largest U.S. food assistance program is still a "red line" in negotiations over raising the country's debt ceiling to avert a looming default, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow said Monday in an interview with Reuters. Republicans, whose party control the House of Representatives, have proposed increasing work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, as part of a spending deal. Expanding work requirements for SNAP would affect about 1 million people, the Department of Agriculture has estimated. "It is a red line as far as I’m concerned," the senator said of tying the expansion of work requirements to the debt ceiling talks. The debt ceiling plan released by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April would raise that top age to 56.

Companies United States Department of Agriculture FollowWASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Rural small businesses and farmers will be eligible to apply for $1 billion in grants to invest in clean energy beginning Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the White House announced on Friday. The money, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), will be distributed through the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and is meant to further the Biden administration's efforts to cut climate-harming emissions across the American economy. The grant money can be used to install renewable energy systems - like solar panels, wind turbines, or biomass projects like anaerobic digesters that process animal manure to generate renewable fuels like biogas - or to make energy-efficient improvements, the USDA said. The funded projects will create jobs, reduce emissions, and improve rural resiliency in the face of a changing climate, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the press call. The IRA provided more than $2 billion for REAP, which the administration anticipates will fund projects for 41,500 farms and small businesses, according to the USDA website.

☆ Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland's leader as bid for unity falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Newly elected leader of the Scottish National Party, Humza Yousaf (centre), signs the nomination form to become First Minister for Scotland, with his proposer Shona Robison and seconder Neil Gray, at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. MSPs will vote on Mr Yousaf's nomination to be Scotland's sixth First Minister later today. Yousaf had been expected to offer his leadership rival, whom he only defeated by only about 2,000 votes, a more senior role. During his leadership campaign, Yousaf had said he would depart from Sturgeon's "inner circle" style of leadership in favour of a "big tent" approach. Yousaf said on Tuesday that Shona Robison - a close friend of Sturgeon - will serve as his deputy first minister.

☆ India's rural women are 'bearing the brunt' of climate shocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

India's rural women are bearing the brunt of climate related shocks like severe drought and extreme weather events, Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesIndia's rural women are bearing the brunt of climate related shocks like severe drought and extreme weather events, which are drastically affecting their daily livelihoods. The climate fund will allow women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education, said Clinton. Having access to clean water makes a huge difference in tackling the overall health issues for rural women, she added. In the latest economic survey released in February, the government said rural women were increasingly participating in economic activity. Government schemes and policies have helped rural women, said Akanksha Khullar, a visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

Student loan borrowers gathered at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the evening before the court hears two cases on the White House student loan relief plan. Jemal Countess | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty ImagesOn the night before the Supreme Court was set to hear oral arguments over the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan, Amanda Smitley sat outside the court on an aluminum blanket holding an umbrella. Student loan borrower Amanda Smitley, 20, joined the student loan borrowers gathered at Supreme Court on Feb. 27, 2023, the night before the court hears two cases on student loan forgiveness. With a $175 monthly student loan bill, though, he won't be able to help them. Student loan borrowers gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 27, 2023, the night before the court hears two cases on student loan forgiveness.

☆ Portugal bans new Airbnbs over fears of popular cities becoming 'some sort of Disneyland'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Portugal has unveiled sweeping reforms to make buying and renting homes more affordable for locals. Part of the crackdown is not granting new licenses for new Airbnbs or other short-term rentals. The prime minister said he's seeking to "balance" local housing needs and economy-boosting tourism. The country's prime minister Antonio Costa said he worries about Portugal's cities turning into "some sort of Disneyland." The new measures would freeze the nearly 110,000 officially registered "tourist homes" in Portugal, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.

☆ Beijing Urges Rural Officials to Hire Humans—Not Machines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Stella Yifan Xie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Workers checked a newly laid water pipe in Yichang City, Hubei Province, last year. An estimated 3 million low-skilled workers remain in the countryside as the number of jobs in cities has dwindled. HONG KONG—China’s top economic agency recently called on local governments to find more work for rural laborers, such as widening roads and digging canals—even if the tasks could more efficiently be done by machines. “If it’s possible to use human labor, do not use machines, and mobilize local residents to do the jobs,” said a directive released by China’s National Development and Reform Commission last month.

☆ India's Budget 2023 highlights
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The Indian parliament building is pictured on the opening day of the parliament session in New Delhi, India, June 17, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Indian government on Wednesday unveiled a 45 trillion rupees ($550.7 billion) spending budget for the next fiscal year starting April to boost economic growth, while aiming to lower fiscal deficit before elections due next year. The aim is to have strong public finances and a robust financial sector for the benefit of all sections of society, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. * Custom duty exemption extended to EV batteriesFor experts' reaction to the budget, click here. ($1 = 81.7620 Indian rupees)Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Janane Venkatraman, Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. awarding $800 million to improve roads, cut traffic deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will announce Wednesday it is awarding $800 million to redesign roads, improve sidewalks and make other upgrades to address the sharp increase in U.S. traffic deaths. Traffic deaths jumped 10.5% to 42,915 in 2021, the highest number killed on American roads since 2005. After declining for decades, traffic deaths jumped sharply after COVID-19 lockdowns expired in 2020 and more drivers engaged in unsafe behavior. Other projects include mid-block crosswalks, rumble strips, narrower lanes and backplates with reflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility. The United States has 4 million miles of roads and nearly 300 million vehicles that travel more than 3 trillion miles annually.

According to official statistics, there were about five medical personnel and fewer than five hospital beds per 1,000 people in China’s rural areas in 2020, compared with more than 11 medical personnel and almost nine hospital beds in urban areas. Jiao Yahui, an official at the National Health Commission, said the government’s Covid strategy for rural areas had two main focuses. The lack of facilities means those with Covid are more likely to travel elsewhere for treatment or simply recover at home to avoid further exposure in hospitals. A local resident with the last name Li said he had attended five funerals since last December, all for people who died after contracting Covid. He said he had heard that at least 300 older people died this winter in the county, not including its administered villages or towns.

☆ Analysis: Democrats' downgrade of Iowa's role is a blow to Corn Belt, biofuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa's political importance created a cottage industry out of educating and supporting candidates on issues that corn farmers and ethanol manufacturers care about. "Forward looking, to get Democratic candidates exposed to farm issues and get these issues in front of them is going to be extremely challenging. “It’s a blow to the industry, in terms of educating and informing the Democratic candidates,” Link said. Link noted that many of the Democratic candidates vying for the nomination were often already serving as elected leaders in Washington or would later become vice presidents or cabinet secretaries. The Iowa caucuses helped developed empathy for rural issues that could later be tapped for legislative success.

☆ Demand for rural homes in Britain drops as pandemic effect fades, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Demand for rural homes in Britain dropped as the pandemic trend of relocating to the countryside faded, according to real estate website Zoopla. In the wider Lake District national park area, demand dipped 5% compared to the same period, and in mid-Wales it fell 10%. In April 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, 46.6% of people in employment did some work from home, according to the Office for National Statistics. The U.K. mortgage market fell into crisis in September following drastic policy shifts by then-Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng. Some market watchers are now predicting a major downturn in the U.K. property market as a result of the country's weakened economy and sticky high inflation rate.

If it is signed into law, the omnibus bill would address the summer food gap low-income families face in two ways. It would permit “grab-and-go” free summer meals to be distributed in rural communities as part of the nationwide Summer Food Service Program, expanding access for more children in need. The Summer EBT program would start in 2024. And so having options like Summer EBT, having options like grab-and-go, other noncongregate options, is the way to be able to do that.”The summer nutrition program expansions in the bill were championed by Sens. "We know too often children who are able to get healthy meals in school go hungry during the summer.

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