FCC has money for rural broadband but isn’t sure where to spend it

Ever since Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) was first elected to the House in 2006, he has sought to ensure that Iowans and other rural Americans can access the internet. But Rep Loebsack, who is set to retire at the end of the 116th Congress, remains frustrated that the federal government still lacks accurate data showing where Americans can get a signal — and where they can’t. How to best go about correcting federal broadband maps is disputed. And despite cooperation between Democrats and Republicans designed to force the Federal Communications Commission to fix them, sniping over who bears the responsibility for the persisting inaccuracies is a matter of partisan debate. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai blamed Congress, which he claimed has hamstrung the agency’s ability to fix the maps by withholding the necessary funding even though the agency approved a plan to fix the maps in 2019. But fellow-FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel blamed Chairman Pai.