Thune, Lujan Lead Bill to Bolster USDA Rural Broadband Programs

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., and panel Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., led filing Tuesday of the Rural Internet Improvement Act in a bid to bolster Agriculture Department broadband programs’ funding for rural areas. The measure would combine USDA’s traditional broadband loan and grant program and the ReConnect program. It would also mandate that ReConnect funding goes only to areas in which 90% of households are unserved, and would make changes to the program’s challenge process. Thune’s office suggested the legislation is among his proposals for inclusion in the 2023 farm bill process. “Access to these broadband services is typically determined by where you live, which often leaves rural communities in the dust,” Thune said. “Our bipartisan legislation would help bridge the digital divide by improving” ReConnect “to ensure its funding goes to truly unserved areas.” The bill would “make USDA programs more efficient and ensure that unserved communities receive the investments they need,” Lujan said. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., signed on as original co-sponsors. Thune’s office cited support from the American Farm Bureau Federation, NCTA, NTCA and other agriculture groups.