STURGIS, S.D. (KBHB) – South Dakota’s Fall River and Custer County are getting upgraded high speed broadband service thanks to a $1.7-million grant from USDA Rural Development.

Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. will use the grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 218 people, five businesses, 65 farms and one essential community facility to high-speed broadband internet in Fall River and Custer counties in South Dakota and Niobrara and Weston counties in Wyoming.

USDA State Director for Rural Development Julie Gross talked about grant.

Gross says less populated areas often don’t have the same resources as larger cities and the grant announced Tuesday that is being given to Golden West will help level the technological playing field.

The $2.5 million project has been in the works for two years and now Golden West is ready to begin construction.

Gross says the project is slated to be completed next year.