For Immediate Release
Contact:Laura Withers, (703) 351-2087, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (March 15, 2017)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today commended Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D–Minn.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R–W.Va.), co-chairs of the Senate Broadband Caucus, and a bipartisan group of co-sponsors for introducing the “Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act of 2017.”
The legislation seeks to produce current statistics on the economic impact of broadband and would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis to conduct a study of the effects of broadband deployment and adoption on the U.S. economy. It is co-sponsored by Sens. Angus King (I–Maine), Heidi Heitkamp (D–N.D.), John Boozman (R–Ark.), Al Franken (D–Minn.), and Dan Sullivan (R–Alaska).
“As NTCA’s Smart Rural Community program highlights, our national broadband challenge is as much about sustainability as it is about availability,” said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “The ongoing availability of robust broadband at affordable prices is essential to maintaining a rich quality of life and economic growth in both urban and rural America. An enhanced understanding of the economic impact of broadband will enable greater recognition of the payback that comes from sustainable access to broadband and help to inform policymaking decisions going forward.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing more than 800 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.