Associated Press

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer says the agency is using federal aid to promote rural access to high-speed Internet connections.

The former North Dakota governor spoke at a state Commerce Department economic development conference in Bismarck.

Schafer says many rural areas lack the broadband capacity to handle new technologies, such as streaming Internet video. He says the capacity is important to delivering telemedicine and other essential services to rural areas.

Schafer says the U.S. Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service is revamping its loan assistance programs to make it easier to help expand access to advanced Internet services.