Today, Congressman Mike McIntyre, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture, held a hearing to review the progress made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce to award grants to expand broadband access in rural areas.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with $7.2 billion to expand access to broadband services. Currently, RUS and NTIA are reviewing applications for these funds.
“Broadband funding provided in the Recovery Act has the potential to set the stage for many years of broadband deployment in unserved and underserved rural areas. Today’s hearing was another step to make sure that the policies and regulations work with and for the needs of Rural America," Subcommittee Chairman McIntyre said. “This is an investment that can create jobs, improve communities, and change lives. Working together, we must get this right."
“The stimulus funding provided a great opportunity to bring broadband to the unserved rural communities in America. I want to thank the Under Secretary and the Administrator for attending and allowing this subcommittee to comment. It is unfortunate that an arbitrary deadline set by Congress in February is resulting in a flawed process," Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Conaway said. “This subcommittee is providing oversight of the USDA to ensure that Rural Americans receive the best possible broadband available. It is my hope that some of the suggestions made by the committee members will be incorporated in the next round of funding."
Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://democrats-agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html. A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.
Panel I
* The Honorable Jonathan S. Adelstein, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
* 'The Honorable Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
http://democrats-agriculture.house.gov
Source: House Committee on Agriculture
