(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Representative Rick Boucher announced today that, at his urging, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Rural Utilities Service, is providing a federal grant to help establish high-speed Internet services in the Hurley community.

"With the federal funding I am announcing today, residents of Hurley, the Hurley Family Medical Center and the Knox Creek Volunteer Fire Department will gain access to high speed Internet services which were previously unavailable in the community. In addition, a community computer access center will be established to provide Internet access and basic computer training classes to residents at convenient times," Boucher said.

Follow up:

With the benefit of the federal funding announced today, Inter Mountain Cable will offer high-speed Internet services, as well as voice and television services, to the residents of the Hurley community, Hurley Family Medical Center and the Knox Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Additionally, a computer center in downtown Hurley will be established with computer workstations providing free and open access to Internet services at convenient times. The computer center will also offer basic computer and Internet workshops.

"Access to high-speed Internet services is critical to achieving our economic development goals for the region, and I am pleased that the Rural Utilities Service is providing this allocation of federal funding to establish high-speed Internet services in Hurley. Today's announcement is a major success in our ongoing work to expand high-speed Internet access throughout Southwest Virginia," Boucher said.