Rural Broadband DATA Act Pt 2
I’m Bob Larson. Closing the digital divide is the goal of the Broadband DATA Act, a measure recently passed into law that changes the way the FCC determines where the need for rural broadband is the greatest.
Co-sponsor, U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says the pandemic has highlighted many reasons reliable broadband is crucial …
NEWHOUSE … “And then you put on top of that, the way agriculture is changing, the need to have connectivity just to conduct regular business on the modern farm, all of these things, certainly, have highlighted the inequity and shortcomings of rural broadband.”
Newhouse says many rural areas are overlooked …
NEWHOUSE … “So, this is an effort to help identify those areas, to truly shed some light on the issue so that we can get resources where they are most needed.”
Newhouse says reliable internet is no longer a luxury …
NEWHOUSE … “You know, the pandemic, no one wants it to continue at all, but one of the silver linings to this dark cloud of the coronavirus is that I think it will truly call attention to some of the inequities that we already experience here in rural America and this being broadband will finally bring some resources to bear to solve this problem that we have of inadequate connectivity.”
Newhouse says time and again we’ve seen the value of government and industry partnerships for important goals and expanding internet access is no different.
