House Advances Bipartisan Bill to Improve Broadband in Rural Communities

Jan 10, 2017 Issues: Economy and Jobs

The U.S. House of Representatives has advanced a bipartisan bill that will help improve broadband connectivity in rural communities across the United States. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) voted in favor of the measure, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act (H.R. 288).

H.R. 288 extends the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Open Internet Order exemption for small businesses for the next five years, which will allow small Internet Service Providers (ISP) to continue to focus their resources on building service networks and improving connectivity for customers in rural areas.

“Having a reliable and fast broadband connection is critical for education and commerce in our rural communities. Without this reliability, small businesses can’t compete and students can’t access the resources that are vital for their academic growth and lifelong success,” Tipton said. “Extending the exemption for five years will be important for protecting our small providers from overly burdensome, one-size-fits-all regulations, but we must continue to work towards a permanent solution to this problem.”

In March of 2016, Tipton held a Small Business Roundtable event in Durango, Colo., where the issue of high-speed internet was the main topic of discussion among attendees. He has been a vocal supporter of FCC reforms to modernize the Universal Service Fund (USF) that would increase rural broadband access.

H.R. 288 passed the House unanimously and must now be considered by the Senate.