The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $46.4 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas across Illinois. Flat Rock Telephone Co-op will use a $3.2 million loan and a $3.2 million loan through the program to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 1,460 people, 50 farms, 13 businesses and a fire station to high speed broadband internet in areas of Crawford and Lawrence Counties in southeastern Illinois in the future.