House and Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittees leaders...
House and Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittees leaders received letters Wed. from the Wireless Communications Assn. (WCA) and TIA, both urging full funding of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) broadband loan program. The TIA letter urged $20 million for the…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
RUS program in the 2005 agriculture appropriations bill. The measure didn’t receive full funding in the 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill, but Sens. Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Burns (R-Mont.) successfully pushed an increase from $9 million to $15.1 million. TIA argued that a funding of $20 million, which was originally authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, would create $700 million in loans and loan guarantees for broadband services in rural communities with populations up to 20,000. “The RUS program helps break down the financial barriers that have created the broadband digital divide in our country,” said TIA Pres. Matthew Flanigan. WCA has also circulated a similar letter that was sent to the House and Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee leaders. It had 73 signatures, including TIA’s, as well as Alcatel, CEA, Cisco, Corning, EIA, Lucent, OFS, the Rural Broadband Federation, SIA, and USTA. “Considering that these monies serve the dual purpose of providing broadband connectivity for rural communities and creating new jobs for the nation, this expenditure would appear to be money well spent,” said the letter.