Contact: Lauren Gaydos, 703-351-2015
Arlington, Va., (June 24, 2021)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today issued the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield on the White House’s announcement that a bipartisan infrastructure deal has been reached, including $65 billion for broadband:
“If the last year has taught us anything, it is that broadband is vital 21st century infrastructure,” said Bloomfield. “On behalf of NTCA’s members, the community-based broadband providers who serve the rural areas they also call home, I want to thank President Biden and the bipartisan group of senators for working so diligently on this historic proposal to improve our nation’s infrastructure—not just roads and bridges, but digital infrastructure as well. As a final plan is further defined and comes together, I urge policymakers to aim high and invest in future-proof fiber technology built to last, to ensure that funding is directed towards connecting those most in need first and to coordinate funding among the existing federal and state programs that support and sustain broadband deployment and help keep services in hard-to-reach rural areas affordable. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Biden administration to ensure that everyone has meaningful and lasting access to high-quality internet service.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovative change in smart rural communities across America. In an era of transformative technological developments, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are advancing efforts to close the digital divide by delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks. Their commitment to building sustainable networks makes rural communities 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.