Having grown up in rural Kansas, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants future generations to have the same experience — to see small towns as places where they can start a family and build a career. To do that, rural broadband must come to rural America, he told attendees at the launch Wednesday, of a listening session targeting rural broadband access.
“In a connected global economy, we can’t leave millions of Americans sitting on the sidelines,” said Pai. “Some say we can’t afford to bring high-speed connectivity to places like rural Kansas. I say we can’t afford not to.”
Pai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue joined executives from the five coalition partner organizations — the Farm Foundation, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, CoBank, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation.
Achieving e-connectivity across rural America is not a simple task, according to Farm Foundation President/CEO Constance Cullman. “Actions needed to improve e-connectivity vary widely by community and region. These listening sessions will serve to highlight common issues, success stories to build strong broadband systems, and challenges that are yet to be met.” The next listening session is planned for this June in Minnesota.
Executives from regional telecommunications companies participated in the kickoff to provide perspectives on broadband service issues. This panel included Levoy Knowles of the Tennessee Telecommunications Association, Mel Coleman of the North Arkansas Electric Cooperative, and Ken Johnson, Administrator of Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service.
April 19, 2018
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