Contact: Lauren Gaydos, 703-351-2015
Arlington, Va., (February 7, 2022)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today endorsed the Connect Unserved Americans Act of 2022 introduced by Senators John Thune, R-S.D., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Bob Casey, D-Pa. This legislation would help prevent the overbuilding of networks by directing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect funding to the rural areas most in need of broadband.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided an additional $1.926 billion in ReConnect funding and created new rules for the program, allowing providers to receive funding despite only 50% of their proposed service locations lacking 25/3 Mbps broadband. The Connect Unserved Americans Act would raise that requirement to 80% of locations unserved, putting the program area eligibility on par with the threshold for the larger $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program established under IIJA.
“While we have made great progress in expanding broadband connectivity to some of the farthest reaches of our country, many rural Americans still lack reliable internet access,” said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “These communities have been left behind, and IIJA resources should be directed toward building the best possible networks in the most unserved areas first, instead of funding duplicative networks. NTCA thanks Senators Thune, Smith, Wicker and Casey for introducing the Connect Unserved Americans Act, which we endorse.”
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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.