New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is touting the rural broadband funding she says she worked to get in to the Farm Bill that the Senate approved last week. The provision encourages more high-speed broadband deployment in high-need areas with grants in combination with the current loan funding available through the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. Federal funds would cover of up to 50 percent of a project’s cost, and up to 75 percent for remote, high-need areas. The Senate Farm Bill also increases the annual funding level of the USDA broadband program to $150 million. The House passed a much different Farm Bill, and the two need to be reconciled in a conference committee before reaching the president for a signature.