Dale Bumpers: “this bill includes the Rural Community Advancement Program which provides flexibility to tailor financial assistance to…”

“this bill includes the Rural Community Advancement Program which provides flexibility to tailor financial assistance to applicant needs. Through this program rural business enterprise grants are made available. As you are very well aware, I have pursued funding for the Arkansas communications project since March 1992. This project will provide a statewide communications and education network that will eventually include all Arkansas publicly funded 2- and 4-year institutions of higher learning, research and extension centers, cooperative extension county offices, many rural hospitals, and State and Federal Government office buildings. The network will include compressed video, TV/video production, and data networking. When completed, the project will serve the large rural population of Arkansas as well as provide linkages and educational support to our more urban areas. This committee first voiced its support for the project in the fiscal year 1993, and the committee has continued to note its support every year since. Unfortunately, the University of Arkansas Divisions of Agriculture, which is sponsoring this project, has endured mixed results in getting the Department of Agriculture to honor the wishes of this committee.”