The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RURAL BROADBAND ENHANCEMENT ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E448-E449 on March 30, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RURAL BROADBAND ENHANCEMENT ACT
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HON. EARL POMEROY
of north dakota
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 29, 2000
Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join Representative Stupak today as an original cosponsor of the Rural Broadband Enhancement Act
(RBEA). This legislation will ensure rural America not be by-passed as high speed Internet access spreads across the urban areas of our nation.
The Rural Broadband Enhancement Act will authorize $3 billion in low-
interest loans over the next five years to finance the construction of the needed broadband infrastructure in rural communities. These loans would be repayable over 30 years at two percent interest. The program would be administered through the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service, and is considered company neutral and technology neutral, so that entities from regional Bells to rural cooperatives to cable or satellite companies would be able to serve these communities with the best suited technology. The Rural Broadband Enhancement Act is modeled on the Rural Electrification Act which helped light up America when it was enacted more than 60 years ago.
We are all well aware that the Internet is now more than just a source of entertainment. Today people use the Internet to access a variety of information, from how to buy a car to the latest trends in the stock market to researching job opportunities or accessing college applications. The Internet is virtually limitless in the variety of information available, and for rural communities, broadband capability has the potential to provide an unprecedented opportunity to overcome the traditional geographic disadvantages.
Access to advanced telecommunications services will be an important component to further economic development opportunities in rural America. High-speed Internet is rapidly transforming every facet of business and industry. Economic opportunities will migrate to those areas of the country that can provide the necessary infrastructure to host them. We must make a strong federal commitment to support the deployment of advanced telecommunications services. Only with adequate support will we be able to stimulate facility investment necessary to deploy advanced services throughout rural areas. We must not let the digital divide isolate our rural communities.
I look forward to working with Representative Stupak and my other colleagues to help pass this legislation.
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