Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

Arkansas distribution cooperatives are celebrating building future-proof fiber optic broadband access to more than 1 million rural residents within seven years. “No longer does a person have to live in a metropolitan area to have access to lightning-fast internet service,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president/CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) secured just over $3 billion to ensure communities across the country can remove and replace Chinese-owned telecommunication equipment from U.S. networks.

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides $42.45 billion of funding to states, territories and the District of Columbia (“Eligible Entities”) for broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption activities.

Thanks to Congress’ work on the infrastructure law, America has the funding to make internet coverage reliable nationwide. Where broadband goes, economic growth and educational opportunity follow. But despite the federal government’s efforts, including decades of work and billions of dollars, too many Americans still lack reliable connection, an unacceptable fact in today’s digital world. The problem boils down to bureaucratic disorganization. Today, over 100 separate initiatives, managed by 15 individual federal agencies, have been deployed to address the digital urban-rural divide.

Tom Vilsack has much to say about Democrats and rural America. And for good reason. He’s the longest-serving Democratic agriculture secretary in history, having claimed the office tucked along the National Mall for eight years under former President Barack Obama and now concluding four more years in the post in the Biden administration.

Sens Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) announced that their bipartisan Access to Capital Creates Economic Strength and Supports (ACCESS) Rural America Act, unanimously passed the U.S. Senate. The legislation expands access to broadband in rural areas by easing the burden of regulatory costs for smaller broadband providers that rural communities rely on. The ACCESS Rural America Act provides regulatory relief to rural telecommunications service providers by allowing them to submit streamlined financial reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A change of administration brings a change to the Federal Communications Commission as the majority swings from Democratic to Republican. I’ve always maintained a regulatory wish list, and the following are my hopes for what we’ll see out of the new FCC. These aren’t predictions—just my own list of hopes. 

The PLAN for Broadband Act (S.

Digital connectivity is becoming more vital in driving economic growth, attracting inward investment, creating jobs and improving outcomes for people and communities. Improving availability and access to improved broadband is important for many of the key sectors within Harlan County and plays a crucial role in attracting inward investment to the area:

The goal of expanding broadband availability in Texas has been a long time coming. Depending on the day, the finish line either looks closer than ever or so very far away. Recently, Texas won final approval to use billions of federal money to help connect every corner of the sprawling state. The news came about 17 months after the $3.3 billion was first pledged for Texas — part of the bipartisan infrastructure deal signed by President Joe Biden.