Hatch, Daines, Fischer Introduce Critical Rural Broadband Bill

Statement

This week, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), along with Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), introduced the Highway Rights-of-Way Permitting Efficiency Act of 2017, a bill that will streamline broadband permitting in existing highway rights-of-way for broadband infrastructure projects.

"One of the most efficient ways to close the opportunity and innovation gap between rural and urban communities is to expand broadband infrastructure," Hatch said. "This effort is critical to improving education, transportation, public safety, healthcare, and the economy. With access to fast internet, Utah's businesses can compete with companies across the world. This much-needed legislation helps rural broadband providers by streamlining the deployment of broadband infrastructure across federal lands. It will save Utahns precious time and resources and will also ensure that our state remains a national leader in providing broadband services."

"We need to reduce the rural and urban divide in digital connectivity," Daines stated. "By eliminating unnecessary regulations we can more rapidly connect rural America and deploy broadband infrastructure."

"Connecting Nebraskans, especially those living in our rural areas, is a top priority for me," Fischer said. "This legislation takes critical steps to streamline the permitting process for new broadband infrastructure projects. By reducing red tape, we can help more Nebraska families access broadband services."

Source