Bi-Partisan Group Launches Rural Broadband Caucus

In the wake of a critical FCC report that found the rollout of broadband in rural and tribal areas sorely lacking, four members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday launched the Rural Broadband Caucus.

The new caucus is co-chaired by Reps. Kevin Cramer (R- ND), Bob Latta (R-OH), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-VT). Other members include Reps. Mike Bost (R-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Frank Lucas (R-OK), James McGovern (D-MA), Luke Messer (R-IN), Rick Nolan (D-MN), Rob Woodall (R-GA).

According to the members, the goal of the bipartisan group is to educate members of Congress on broadband deployment, facilitate discussions on the matter and develop policy solutions to close the “digital divide.”

As part of the launch, caucus members attended a “Broadband 101 Briefing” session on Wednesday featuring a panel of industry experts, like Tim Donovan, SVP of Legislative Affairs for the Competitive Carrier’s Association (CCA).

“Access to broadband is essential,” Latta said in a statement. “It is a primary driver of economic development and empowers and connects communities – especially rural communities like I represent in northwest and west central Ohio. This caucus will bring greater attention to the need for high-speed broadband in rural America, and help to encourage and spur innovative solutions to address this growing consumer demand.”

Despite the FCC’s benchmark requirement for broadband speeds of 25 mbps for downloads and 3 mbps for uploads, Pocan said consumers in many areas of his district in Wisconsin face download speeds as slow as 1 mbps.

And they’re not alone.

According to the FCC’s most recent broadband progress report, approximately 40 percent of people living in rural and Tribal areas lack access to broadband that meets the FCC’s standard. By comparison, only four percent of urban residents were without the same.

Overall, nearly 10 percent of the American population – or about 34 million people – are without access to fixed broadband with speeds meeting the FCC criteria, according to the report.

CCA on Wednesday applauded the representatives for launching the initiative.

“The launch of the Rural Broadband Caucus is an important step,” CCA President and CEO Steven K. Berry. “Mobile broadband coverage not only impacts consumers, but also consumers’ access to public safety, education, tele-health, economic opportunity and much, much more. I encourage the Caucus to work to ensure competitive carriers, especially those in rural areas, have access to sufficient USF support and critical spectrum resources, and I strongly urge continued focus on easing barriers to deployment, especially on federal lands.”

Source: CED