The Agriculture Dept. would be required to devise a rural broadba...
The Agriculture Dept. would be required to devise a rural broadband strategy under the farm bill that was marked up Tues. in the House Agriculture Rural Development Subcommittee. The broadband strategy requirement was outlined in an amendment the committee…
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adopted proposed by Rep. Salazar (D-Colo.) It would promote coordination among federal agencies to streamline existing rural broadband rural initiatives. The Agriculture Dept. would be directed to identify how programs and resources could best respond to the obstacles that stand in the way of rural broadband development, according to the amendment. In other areas, the farm bill would change the definition of an “eligible rural community” to include any area in the U.S. that isn’t included within a city with more than 20,000 people and the areas “contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town.” This definition was requested by a number of rural lawmakers (CD May 23 p2) who had proposed their own bills on the matter, including Sens. Roberts (R-Kan.), Salazar (D-Colo.) and Rep. Herseth (D-S.D.). The bill would prohibit the Agriculture Secretary from making a loan to any community where there are more than 3 incumbent service providers. It also would increase the percentage of subscriber lines that an eligible entity is allowed to serve from 2% to 10%. USTelecom said it was pleased with the subcommittee’s “clear focus,” which would ensure that the Rural Utilities Services programs help spur broadband development in unserved areas, said Pres. Walter McCormick in a statement. Qwest also welcomed the bill, saying it was an “important first step toward refocusing the RUS Broadband Loan Program so that it benefits those who need it the most: rural communities without access to broadband.”