Chris McKenna is reporting for The Fray U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Antonio Delgado in October, introduced a bill to fund $50 billion in block grants for rural areas. The funds would be earmarked for broadband service, affordable housing, water and sewer improvements and other efforts to boost rural economies. The Rebuild Rural America Act would authorize five-year, renewable grants to rural regions that have set up “partnership councils” and have been certified as eligible by their states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Amounts awarded would correspond to each region’s population, but weighted by poverty levels. The program would triple the normal amount given for each person in a census tract that has a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher. In a joint announcement with Gillibrand, Delgado said: “This bill gives rural communities the funding, flexibility, and technical assistance to do what they know will best help their towns — including building firehouses, repaving sidewalks, replacing old and failing water systems, and supporting economic development to make sure our upstate communities have what they need to grow and thrive.” Read the full story at The Fray.