The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee recently advanced 17 bills to the full Senate. Of interest to telecom readers is the Rural Broadband Protection Act, sponsored by Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and John Curtis (R-UT).
S.98 would require a more thorough vetting and verification process for ISPs seeking to participate in the FCC’s Universal Service Fund high-cost program. The bill would provide essential safeguards by ensuring that funding goes to companies with both a proven track record of success and that have demonstrated sound judgment in deploying in hard-to-serve areas, according to the lawmakers.
Capito says the bill is the product of conversations she’s had with small rural service providers and state and local officials in West Virginia. “The discussions I had with them made it abundantly clear the FCC needs congressional direction to ensure taxpayer money is being used properly to fund broadband deployment in rural areas,” Capito explains. “By verifying that providers can actually deliver on the promises made to bring high-speed internet to specific areas, we can maximize the influx of broadband dollars coming to West Virginia and move closer toward our goal of closing the digital divide in communities of all sizes across our state.”
“We should be able to bring high-speed internet to every community in our country, regardless of their zip code,” says Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation will help Americans connect to work, school, health care and business opportunities by ensuring the companies that apply for federal funding to build out broadband infrastructure can get the job done,” notes Klobuchar.
NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association and USTelecom have endorsed the measure.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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