For Immediate Release
Contact: Kelly Wismer, (703) 351-2015, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (January 17, 2018)—The Senate Broadband Caucus, led by Senators Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), sent a letter today to President Donald Trump urging his administration to include stand-alone funding for rural broadband deployment in any future infrastructure plans. The letter iterates policy priorities that are part of a broader, ongoing dialogue about how best to support and sustain robust broadband services in rural America.
“Prioritizing direct funding support for broadband deployment in an infrastructure package will help close the digital divide and ensure our country maintains its global competitiveness,” the letter states, while positing that new telecommunications infrastructure would spur economic opportunity and growth in underserved communities, which are often low-density and rural.
“NTCA applauds the leadership and persistence of the Senate Broadband Caucus in seeking to ensure rural consumers and businesses have access to robust and affordable broadband. Today’s letter is yet another example of their commitment to community, and their focus on the need for additional funding dovetails with the proposal yesterday from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to increase the Universal Service Fund support necessary to justify broadband investment and operations in rural America. NTCA continues to believe that sufficient funding and leveraging the universal service programs in coordination with broader infrastructure initiatives will be key to making meaningful progress in promoting and sustaining rural broadband deployment," said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield.
The full text of the letter is available online.
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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.