US Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Access to Rural Broadband

US Sens John Thune (R-SD), Tina Smith (D-MN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Connect Unserved Americans Act. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) targets funding through the ReConnect Program to areas most in need of reliable broadband services. Additionally, it would enhance the coordination between federal agencies that are disbursing broadband funding to prevent the overbuilding of existing broadband networks. “Our bipartisan legislation would help bridge the digital divide by ensuring federal broadband funding goes to truly unserved areas,” said Sen Thune. Sen Smith stated, "Broadband is the infrastructure of the 21st Century – it isn’t just nice, it’s necessary if we’re going to build an economy that works for everyone." In October 2021, Thune and Smith co-led a bipartisan letter urging USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to continue to grant awards to areas where there is a higher percentage of unserved households, increase USDA’s coordination efforts with other agencies administering broadband programs, and give equal treatment to all applicants.