Electricity, telephone, water and waste disposal
services have been taken for granted in American cities since
at least the 1920's. But if you lived in a rural area only
60 years ago, chances are you went without these necessities
of modern life and high standard of living they make possible.
Modern utilities came to rural America through some of the most
successful government initiatives in American history, carried
out through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
working with rural cooperatives, nonprofit associations, public
bodies, and for-profit utilities. Today, USDA Rural Development
Utilities Programs carries on this tradition helping rural utilities
expand and keep their technology up to date, helping establish
new and vital services such as distance learning and telemedicine.
The public-private partnership which is forged
between Rural Development Utilities Programs and these industries
results in billions of dollars in rural infrastructure development
and creates thousands of jobs for the American economy.
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