USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner will be joined by USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administrator Brandon McBride from Washington, D.C. to present a certificate of obligation to the Mescalero Apache Telephone, Inc. (MATI). The certificate represents the obligation of funds to build a multimillion dollar broadband communication system on the Mescalero Apache Tribe reservation.
The $5.3 million loan is being made by USDA Rural Development’s RUS Telecommunications Loan Program and the Substantially Underserved Trust Land (SUTA) Program. This project is the first in the nation to be obligated with these funds which allows MATI to take advantage of low interest funds.
The loan will allow MATI to upgrade specific portions of its copper cable facilities with fiber facilities, providing fiber-to-the-home (FTIH) services to the 1,178 telephone customers and 500 data customers it currently serves.
The proposed improvements will primarily be located in the more densely populated areas of Mescalero, Geronimo, Pena, Goat Summit and Carrizo.
August 13, 2015 10:00 AM
What? Terry Brunner, USDA Rural Development State Director and Brandon McBride the national RUS administrator will present a certificate of obligation to the Mescalero Apache Telephone Inc. to being construction of a new broadband communications system.
Where? MATI offices, 75 Carrizo Canyon Road, Mescalero, NM