ADC said its OmniReach fiber distribution terminals (FDTs) and Digivance Long-Range Coverage Solution (LRCS) has been accepted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Services (RUS), a project designed to help foot the bill for broadband infrastructure in rural areas.

The okay means ADC’s gear can be purchased and installed by rural carriers via RUS loans or grants. This year, about $2.2 billion will be made available by RUS for loans and loan guarantees for broadband facilities.

Designed for fiber-based applications, the OmniReach FDT enables rural operators to centralize splitters and provide physical layer access to feeder and distribution networks. ADC’s Digivance LRCS platform uses patented digital RF transport technology to boost signal performance, and enable rural wireless operators to extend their network coverage and capacity without deploying expensive base stations.

Last week, RUS awarded similar approval to Vyyo Inc.’s 700 MHz wireless broadband platform.