For small providers with limited resources, this is incredibly challenging and can be prohibitive.” “The submission portal is not user friendly, and some have commented that attempting to fill out the program application is like having a second job. “The ReConnect application process is time consuming and difficult,” Matheson said. He said the ReConnect program must be streamlined. “Building networks in low-density, hard-to-reach areas is challenging, but Congress must prioritize networks that can meet consumer demand and ensure that residents in these areas are able to receive quality service regardless of whether they are considered unserved or underserved,” Matheson said. He said the definition of an area that is unserved by broadband should be expanded to include communities that lack speeds of at least 100 megabits per second for both data uploads and downloads. “Without the ability for networks to grow in response to increased bandwidth needs and consumer demands, the challenge of solving the broadband gap in rural America will persist.” “Congress must prioritize scalable, future-proof networks in any future rounds of federal funding,” Matheson said. ReConnect provides grants and loans to fund the construction, improvement or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in rural communities.Īs Congress continues to consider that bill and other legislation, co-ops have recommendations about what the focus should be, Matheson said. Matheson noted that the committee last year advanced the Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act to make the ReConnect program permanent. Prioritize symmetrical speeds and scalable networks in any future rounds of federal funding.Provide robust funding for rural broadband through USDA.Make the ReConnect program permanent and easier to access.Department of Agriculture as it develops the Farm Bill: Matheson asked the committee to make key improvements to broadband programs at the U.S. “Without these connections, families may choose not to return to the small towns where they grew up, businesses choose to locate elsewhere, and farmers struggle to access the latest technologies that help lower input costs and improve yields.” “Broadband is no longer a luxury, but instead a necessity for business, education and health care access across the country,” he testified at a hearing on closing the digital divide. “An affordable and reliable internet connection is critical for the growth and development of rural America,” Matheson told the House Agriculture Committee, which is crafting a new five-year Farm Bill that will authorize broadband funding. are deploying broadband or developing plans to do so. More than 200 electric co-ops across the U.S. (Photo By: Jerry Mosemak/NRECA)Įlectric cooperatives need Congress to improve critical broadband programs to bring high-speed internet service to rural America, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson told a House panel Wednesday. NRECA CEO Jim Matheson testifies about the need to improve federal broadband programs for rural America at a June 21 hearing of the House Agriculture Committee. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $12 billion annually in their communities. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. The cost of building and maintaining networks in sparsely populated areas with difficult terrain has been prohibitive for many providers seeking to turn a profit. For many co-ops, their rural broadband deployment efforts mirror the rural electrification efforts nearly 100 years ago. More than 200 electric cooperatives are working to bring broadband to their rural communities. With the state allocations now announced, states can finalize their broadband plans and launch competitive grant programs to award the funds. These state allocations are a major milestone in the fight to finally make rural broadband a reality.” Access to broadband creates new ways to live, learn and earn in rural America. “Efforts to bridge the digital divide began nearly 25 years ago, yet millions of Americans remain sidelined and disconnected simply because of their zip code,” said Matheson. The funding is known as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and was included in the bipartisan infrastructure law. – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson today applauded the allocation of $42.5 billion in rural broadband funding to the states.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |