For Immediate Release
Contact: Hillary Crowder, 703-351-2086, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (October 21, 2015)—Brian Boisvert, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Wilson Communications (Wilson, Kan.) and member of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association,. testified today before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food, and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies during the hearing, “Review of Rural Development in 21st Century America.” The following is excerpted from Boisvert’s written testimony:
“Entrepreneurial small rural carriers have leveraged public and private capital, universal service support and public-private partnerships to lead the ongoing IP Evolution. These small businesses play an essential role in deploying broadband to rural areas, and the services enabled by broadband are essential to the startup, operation and growth of other rural small businesses. Rural America has a bright future powered by smart technologies that promote affordability, sustainability, and efficiency in the operation of rural industry and the delivery of essential services such as healthcare, education, and public safety—all key to rural population growth.
“Rural telecom providers and lenders such as RUS must have regulatory certainty before they can make greater investments in the networks of the future. One important key to regulatory certainty is a broadband-oriented support mechanism for small, rate-of-return carriers that gives rural consumers options in selecting the services that best fit their needs on the networks that the mechanism helps to enable and sustain.”
The full text of the submitted written testimony is available online.
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of exploding technology, deregulation and marketplace competition, NTCA's members are leading the IP evolution for rural consumers, delivering technologies that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development and commerce, education, health care, government services, security and smart energy use. Visit us at www.ntca.org.