WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) released the below statement upon joining Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, and other House Agriculture Republicans in introducing the Broadband for Rural America Act.

“In many instances, rural communities sit in-between areas with highspeed access. Scores of communities in my district fall into this category. What’s lacking is infrastructure to connect these rural areas to major service providers. The Broadband for Rural America Act will provide new investments for USDA connectivity programs to address these concerns and bring highspeed internet infrastructure to rural communities in need,” said Rep. Scott.

The Broadband for Rural America Act is one of several infrastructure proposals from House Republicans and will build upon Rep. Scott’s past work of making so-called “middle mile” infrastructure projects eligible for funds through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s broadband connectivity programs. 

Specially, the Broadband for Rural America Act would:

• Authorize $3.7 billion per year for critical rural broadband programs, including the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program, the Middle Mile Broadband Program, and the Innovative Broadband Advancement Program
• Target limited resources so assistance is focused on the most rural and least-connected residents, which are often the most expensive to connect
• Promote borrower accountability and protect taxpayers with new tools to ensure promised services are delivered to rural communities

You can find a summary of the legislation here.

-30-