USTelecom Defends RUS Broadband Loan Program

As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Farm Bill, USTelecom CEO Walter McCormick took the opportunity to send a letter to Representatives Tim Johnson (R-IL) and Jim Costa (D-CA), the chairman and ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Rural Development, respectively. USTelecom’s letter basically argues that the Rural Utilities Service Broadband Loan program is essential, and several common attacks on the program should not stand in the way of keeping it alive.

USTelecom explains that its members include rural telecommunications service providers, and “Many are small businesses serving small communities. They are proud of these communities and deeply committed to their future development. What unites our diverse membership is our shared determination to deliver broadband services to all Americans -- regardless of their location.” The RUS broadband loan program helps providers build broadband infrastructure in rural America; and USTelecom believes “RUS endures because it is a brilliantly conceived public-private partnership in which the borrowers are the conduits for the federal benefits that flow to rural telecom customers -- the true program beneficiaries.”