The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadband
The bill would make ReConnect permanent and set higher speed standards, while House language keeps eligibility and overlap rules more restrictive.
- Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman's farm bill markup stalled on Thursday, Aug. 6, leaving the future of the USDA's ReConnect broadband program uncertain amid legislative gridlock.
- Disagreements over broadband speed standards have blocked progress; the House version sets minimums at just 50 Mbps downloads and 25 Mbps uploads, while critics argue such low thresholds risk creating inferior service tiers for rural America.
- ReConnect has provided more than $4.4 billion in rural broadband funding since 2018, yet the $42.5 billion BEAD program is now becoming operational, prompting calls to eliminate USDA programs as duplicative.
- Satellite internet provider Starlink is emerging as a competitive threat to cable companies, complicating arguments that federal fiber infrastructure remains necessary for rural connectivity.
- The legislation, reauthorized roughly every five years, governs rural policy including conservation and broadband; recent Senate votes on the farm bill failed 10-11, indicating deep partisan divisions over SNAP funding will delay rural infrastructure decisions.
43 Articles
43 Articles
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadband - The Mexico Ledger
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadbandSenate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, a Republican from Arkansas, held a markup hearing on his version of the farm bill on Thursday, Aug. 6. It didn’t go very well.In the long-delayed milestone meeting – which could ultimately reshape rural Americans’ connections to the internet – Republicans were unable to move their bill forward. Democrats held together, and the absence of two GO…
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadband - Seward Independent
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadbandSenate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, a Republican from Arkansas, held a markup hearing on his version of the farm bill on Thursday, Aug. 6. It didn’t go very well.In the long-delayed milestone meeting – which could ultimately reshape rural Americans’ connections to the internet – Republicans were unable to move their bill forward. Democrats held together, and the absence of two GO…
thepampanews.com
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadband
The Daily Yonder and Broadband Breakfast report on the faltering farm bill markup, highlighting its implications for rural broadband, including funding challenges and speed requirements.
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadband - Stateline Publications
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadbandSenate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, a Republican from Arkansas, held a markup hearing on his version of the farm bill on Thursday, Aug. 6. It didn’t go very well.In the long-delayed milestone meeting – which could ultimately reshape rural Americans’ connections to the internet – Republicans were unable to move their bill forward. Democrats held together, and the absence of two GO…
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadband - Hillsboro Sentry Enterprise
The farm bill fight that will shape rural broadbandSenate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, a Republican from Arkansas, held a markup hearing on his version of the farm bill on Thursday, Aug. 6. It didn’t go very well.In the long-delayed milestone meeting – which could ultimately reshape rural Americans’ connections to the internet – Republicans were unable to move their bill forward. Democrats held together, and the absence of two GO…
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