For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Withers, (703) 351-2087, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (December 11, 2018)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today released the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield regarding the 2018 Farm Bill:
“NTCA congratulates the Agriculture Committee leaders and Farm Bill conference members for finishing the difficult work of reaching a compromise on the Farm Bill. After Congress made a significant investment in rural broadband in the fiscal year 2018 Omnibus, the Farm Bill conference report further demonstrates that elected officials appreciate the difficulty of delivering robust broadband in rural areas and will work to provide the necessary resources to promote and sustain deployment. The nearly 850 members of NTCA—all of whom offer fixed broadband in the nation’s highest-cost areas—especially appreciate the substantial new grant program in the bill and the pains drafters took to ensure those resources won’t duplicate the work of other federal programs and private deployment efforts. NTCA strongly supports the Farm Bill conference report, appreciates the leadership shown on supporting rural broadband, and encourages Congress to pass the agreement as soon as possible so providers can begin putting the resources toward improving broadband service for rural Americans.”
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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 transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks 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, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.