For Immediate Release
Contact:Laura Withers, (703) 351-2087, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (May 11, 2017)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reorganization announced by Secretary Sonny Perdue.
“The Rural Development programs within USDA are critical to national goals with respect to promoting the availability of infrastructure throughout the United States,” said NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield. “The Rural Utilities Service in particular has played and will continue to play an essential role in providing financing for telecommunications network projects that drive economic development and job creation in rural America. We hope USDA’s leadership will help build upon the many successes that these programs have already had and continue to position them for even greater things to come. Rural progress depends in significant part upon the ongoing vitality and sustainability of these programs, including the availability of sufficient resources to achieve their mission.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 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.