Rural Electrification Act - wikipedia Rural Electrification Act Rural Electrification Act Other short titles Rural Electrification and Telephone Service Act of 1936 Long title An Act to provide for rural electrification, and for other purposes. Nicknames Rural Electrification Act of 1936 Enacted by the 74th United States Congress Effective May 20, 1936 Citations Public law 74 - 605 Statutes at Large 49 Stat. 1363 Codification Titles amended 7 U.S.C. : Agriculture U.S.C. sections created 7 U.S.C. ch. 31 § 901 et seq. Legislative history Introduced in the Senate as S. 3483 by George W. Norris ( I -- NE ) on February 17, 1936 Committee consideration by Senate Agriculture and Forestry, House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Passed the Senate on March 5, 1936 ( Passed ) Passed the House on April 9, 1936 ( Passed ) Reported by the joint conference committee on April 13, 1936 ; agreed to by the House on May 14, 1936 ( Agreed ) and by the Senate on May 15, 1936 ( Agreed ) Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 20, 1936 Franklin Delano Roosevelt ( center ) signs the Rural Electrification Act with Representative John Rankin ( left ) and Senator George William Norris ( right ) The Rural Electrification Act of 1936, enacted on May 20, 1936, provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. The funding was channeled through cooperative electric power companies, most of which still exist today. These member - owned cooperatives purchased power on a wholesale basis and distributed it using their own network of transmission and distribution lines. The Rural Electrification Act was also an attempt made by FDR 's New Deal to deal with high unemployment. Contents 1 History 2 Technical issues 3 Wiring homes and farms 4 Later amendments 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History On May 11, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 7037, which created the Rural Electrification Administration. In 1936, the Congress endorsed Roosevelt 's action by passing the Rural Electrification Act. At the time the Rural Electrification Act was passed, electricity was commonplace in cities but largely unavailable in farms, ranches, and other rural places. Representative John E. Rankin and Senator George William Norris were supporters of the Rural Electrification Act, which was signed into law by Roosevelt on May 20, 1936. Technical issues In the 1930s, the provision of power to remote areas was not thought to be economically feasible. A 2300 volt distribution system was then used in cities. This relatively low voltage could only be carried about 4 miles before the voltage drop became unacceptable. REA cooperatives used a 7200 volt distribution network, which could support much longer runs ( up to about 40 miles ). Despite requiring more expensive transformers at each home, the overall system cost was manageable. Wiring homes and farms REA crews traveled through the American countryside, bringing teams of electricians along with them. The electricians added wiring to houses and barns to utilize the newly available power provided by the line crews. A standard REA installation in a house consisted of : A 60 amp, 230 volt fuse panel, with : A 60 amp range circuit A 20 amp kitchen circuit Two or three 15 amp lighting circuits A ceiling - mounted light fixture was installed in each room, usually controlled by a single switch mounted near a door. At most, one outlet was installed per room, since plug - connected appliances were expensive and uncommon. Wiring was performed using type NM ( nonmetallic sheathed cable ), insulated with asbestos - reinforced rubber covered with jute and tar. Many of these installations still exist today, though most have been augmented to support a greater number and variety of appliances. Later amendments Some amendments to the Rural Electrification Act include : 1944 - loan terms increased to 35 years, the act is made permanent 1949 - extended the act to allow loans to telephone companies wishing to extend their connections to unconnected rural areas 1993 - Provisions to restructure the direct loan programs for rural electricity, telephone cooperatives, and energy conservation market December 8, 1993 - `` North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act '' - The `` Buy American '' provision to now include Mexico and Canada. 2008 - Provisions for access to rural broadband telecommunications network and rural internet 2014 - Pilot program for rural gigabit broadband network Date of Enactment Public Law Number U.S. Statute Citation U.S. Legislative Bill U.S. Presidential Administration September 21, 1944 P.L. 78 - 425 58 Stat. 734 H.R. 4278 Franklin D. Roosevelt October 28, 1949 P.L. 81 - 423 63 Stat. 948 H.R. 2960 Harry S. Truman June 15, 1955 P.L. 84 - 70 69 Stat. 131 S. 153 Dwight D. Eisenhower October 23, 1962 P.L. 87 - 862 76 Stat. 1140 H.R. 10708 John F. Kennedy May 7, 1971 P.L. 92 - 12 85 Stat. 29 S. 70 Richard M. Nixon June 30, 1972 P.L. 92 - 324 86 Stat. 390 H.R. 14423 Richard M. Nixon May 11, 1973 P.L. 93 - 32 87 Stat. 65 S. 394 Richard M. Nixon November 4, 1975 P.L. 94 - 124 89 Stat. 677 H.R. 4799 Gerald R. Ford October 20, 1976 P.L. 94 - 570 90 Stat. 2701 H.R. 12207 Gerald R. Ford May 25, 1984 P.L. 98 - 300 98 Stat. 215 H.R. 2211 Ronald W. Reagan October 21, 1992 P.L. 102 - 428 106 Stat. 2183 H.R. 5237 George H.W. Bush November 1, 1993 P.L. 103 - 129 107 Stat. 1356 H.R. 3123 William J. Clinton December 17, 1993 P.L. 103 - 201 107 Stat. 2342 H.R. 3514 William J. Clinton June 18, 2008 P.L. 110 - 246 122 Stat. 1651 H.R. 6124 George W. Bush February 7, 2014 P.L. 113 - 79 128 Stat. 649 H.R. 2642 Barack H. Obama II See also List of utility cooperatives Rural Utilities Service The Great Depression References Jump up ^ Rural Electrification Act. Ohio History Central. Jump up ^ Peters, Gerhard ; Woolley, John T. `` Franklin D. Roosevelt : `` Executive Order 7037 Establishing the Rural Electrification Administration., '' May 11, 1935 ``. The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved 3 July 2016. Jump up ^ Peters, Gerhard ; Woolley, John T. `` Franklin D. Roosevelt : `` Statement on Signing a Rural Electrification Bill., '' September 22, 1944 ``. The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved 3 July 2016. Jump up ^ Peters, Gerhard ; Woolley, John T. `` Harry S. Truman : `` Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill Providing for Improved Rural Telephone Facilities., '' October 28, 1949 ``. The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved 3 July 2016. Jump up ^ Peters, Gerhard ; Woolley, John T. `` William J. Clinton : `` Statement on Signing the Rural Electrification Loan Restructuring Act of 1993, '' November 1, 1993 ``. The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved 4 July 2016. External links Full text of the original Rural Electrification Act of 1936 Rural Electrification Act of 1936 With Amendments as Approved through December 31, 2000 New Deal Causes and legacy Great Depression New Deal Coalition Brain Trust American Liberty League Criticism New Deal Emergency Banking Act Economy Act Agricultural Adjustment Act Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC ) Civil Works Administration Communications Act Executive Order 6102 Homeowners Refinancing Act Farm Credit Administration Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ( FDIC ) Federal Emergency Relief Administration Frazier -- Lemke Farm Bankruptcy Act Glass -- Steagall Act National Industrial Recovery Act National Housing Act National Recovery Administration National Youth Administration Public Works Administration ( PWA ) Public Works of Art Project Reciprocal Tariff Act Railroad Retirement Act Securities Act Tennessee Valley Authority ( TVA ) Second New Deal Works Progress Administration ( WPA ) Federal Project Number One Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Farm Security Administration Judicial Procedures Reform Act National Bituminous Coal Conservation Act National Labor Relations Board ( Act ) Rural Electrification Act Rural Electrification Administration Social Security United States Housing Authority Individuals Franklin D. Roosevelt Harold L. Ickes Frances Perkins Harry Hopkins Henry Morgenthau, Jr. Huey Long Herbert Hoover Robert F. Wagner Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rural_Electrification_Act&oldid=826615779 '' Categories : United States federal energy legislation 1936 in law 74th United States Congress New Deal legislation Rural electrification in the United States 1935 in the United States Electric cooperatives of the United States Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 20 February 2018, at 03 : 03. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who did the rural electrification administration provide electricity to
Answer: isolated rural areas of the United States