Broadband access for rural areas has been promoted by the evil one for years now, and just recently, it continues to currently be discussed, to the tune of big, big bucks...
Microsoft president urges Congress to fund rural broadband internet connectivity in wake of coronavirus
May 21, 2020 at 12:01 am
Microsoft President Brad Smith is calling for immediate congressional action to improve broadband connectivity for rural communities by funding it as part of a coronavirus relief package.
In a post scheduled to publish Thursday to the
Microsoft on the Issues blog, Smith said the funding is urgently needed in the next stimulus bill so millions of additional Americans have access to educational, medical, employment and other services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith said the pandemic and government directives urging 316 million Americans to stay in and work from home if possible have acted “as an accelerant” that’s driven essential activities online and made it imperative to “close the broadband gap’’ for those lacking high speed internet.
“The COVID-19 virus has created a national crisis,’’ Smith wrote. “But it has also created an important opportunity. It’s time to galvanize the nation and recognize the obvious. Broadband has become the electricity of the 21st century.
“Well before the end of the 20th century, we recognized that no American should live without electricity. As we embark on the third decade of the 21st century, every American deserves the opportunity to access broadband.’’
Smith said funding is needed in the next stimulus bill to improve connectivity so students and teachers can use remote learning tools by the fall. Others, he said, need more access to doctors and telehealth options and to work from home or file unemployment insurance claims.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimated last month that about 18 million people nationwide lack access to broadband — 14 million in rural areas. But BroadbandNow Research, which tracks high-speed accessibility nationwide, says the FCC’s soon-to-be-changed data collection method is flawed – counting an entire block of homes as having access if only a single residence achieves a connection — and that the
actual number of people without broadband is more like 42 million.
Continued here:
Microsoft president Brad Smith call to action comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has driven education, medical care, employment and grocery shopping to a largely online realm.
www.seattletimes.com
Wicker, Capito, Blackburn Introduce Bill to Accelerate Deployment of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Broadband Networks
June 22, 2020
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., today released the following statements upon introduction of the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Act of 2020. This legislation would expedite the deployment of broadband service by creating a fund to be used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to incentivize winning bidders of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction to complete their buildout obligations on a shorter timeline.
“One of my top priorities is expanding access to broadband for communities of all sizes,” said
Wicker. “The coronavirus pandemic has further underscored this pressing need, and I hope our legislation will advance quickly to meet the connectivity needs of Americans living in rural areas, including many in my home state of Mississippi.”
“High-speed internet service is essential in the 21st century,” said
Capito. “West Virginia communities need access to this invaluable tool in order to provide opportunity to and educate the next generation. They also need this connectivity quickly. We have made significant progress in expanding broadband infrastructure through my Capito Connect plan and local efforts, but a lot of work remains to be done. Our legislation is another policy solution supporting broadband deployment in rural, underserved communities. By incentivizing accelerated broadband deployment projects, we can not only connect our communities, but do so quickly.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the move to online work, schooling, and healthcare has put a spotlight on the divide between communities with internet access and those without it,” said
Blackburn. “The ABC Fund will bring broadband to unserved communities with the urgency it requires so that all communities are up to speed with 21st century internet access.”
The Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Act would:
- Create a fund to be used by the FCC following the RDOF Phase I auction to incentivize winning bidders to complete their buildout obligations on an accelerated timeline;
- Build upon the existing RDOF process to get high-speed broadband service to rural consumers much faster than the current timetable for deployment using RDOF dollars;
- Require service providers who receive funds from the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Fund to meet a series of accelerated milestones for their RDOF deployments;
- Allow the FCC to conduct the auction in a way that maximizes value to American taxpayers while connecting consumers more quickly.
Click
here to read the bill.
NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association, USTelecom - The Broadband Association, and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association have endorsed the ABC Act.
“NTCA greatly appreciates Senator Wicker’s ongoing interest in advancing efforts to deploy broadband in rural America,” said
Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association. “The ‘Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Act’ would provide financial incentives for those prevailing in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction to deploy networks and activate services more expeditiously across rural America. On behalf of the NTCA members who have led the charge to date in deploying robust broadband-capable networks in rural areas, we welcome this focus on how to deliver as quickly as possible on the promise of broadband in areas still lacking access, and we look forward to continuing to work with Senator Wicker and his colleagues as Congress considers initiatives to expand and sustain broadband deployment across America.”
“Senator Wicker’s legislation strengthens the landmark Rural Digital Opportunity Fund in meaningful and innovative ways. First, it adds essential funding to the program that will bring high-speed broadband to unserved parts of rural America,”
said
Jonathan Spalter,
President and CEO of USTelecom – The Broadband Association. “Second, it creates new incentives to accelerate the construction of broadband infrastructure – something that matters more than
anything if you live in a community still lacking connectivity. Finishing the job of connecting all Americans requires a partnership with Washington and bolstering and expediting RDOF is a smart and achievable place to start. Let’s not wait much longer to get this technology to the families, businesses, patients and students that need it the most.”
“This bill will help even more rural Americans get the Internet,” said
Claude Aiken, President and CEO of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association. “We want to thank Chairman Wicker for his dedicated leadership on this integral matter – one which will accommodate today’s exigencies and work to comprehensively expand broadband deployment in unserved areas.”
www.livescience.com
