Promoting and Expanding Access to Technology
"In a global economy, all Vermonters and all Vermont businesses must have access to high speed internet and emerging technologies to be connected and competitive. An explosion in technological advancements is benefitting all sectors of our economy. Our farmers are using technology to produce higher yields; our doctors and nurses are using new machines to save lives and improve the health of their patients; and homeowners and businesses are using real time energy use data to cut their energy bills. I strongly support efforts to ensure that every Vermonter, including rural Vermonters have access to the many advantages of this new technological era."
Spotlight on Technology
As the founder and co-chair of the House Rural Telecommunications Working Group, Rep. Welch has put rural telecommunications challenges at the top of his committee’s agenda, the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. He has introduced legislation to reduce dropped calls in rural areas and hold telecom companies accountable for poor service. Working with Senators Leahy and Sanders, he secured funding to extend internet service to unserved towns and schools. And he leads a bipartisan effort in the House to stop data breaches and protect the privacy of consumers and businesses.
More on Promoting and Expanding Access to Technology
WASHINGTON – Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved bipartisan legislation authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) that would direct the Department of Commerce to assess and quantify the contributions to job creation and consumer spending of the outdoor and recreation industry. The Outdoor Recreation’s Economic Contributions (REC) Act would ensure that outdoor recreation jobs are counted by the federal government and would be measured as part of the overall GDP, for the first time ever.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act (H.R. 2566), legislation introduced by Iowa Congressman David Young and Vermont Congressman Peter Welch to address call quality and reliability standards in rural areas.
WASHINGTON––The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing this week on Rep. Peter Welch’s (D-VT) bipartisan legislation to improve the quality and reliability of phone calls in rural areas of the country. Welch introduced the legislation after learning from Vermont small businesses, schools, and small telecommunication companies about calls not connecting or being dropped throughout the state.
Thank you very much, and I really am delighted we’ve got Eric LeBeau from Vermont here who is going to be speaking about this. But I want to also thank Mr. Latta and all of my colleagues for focusing on the challenges that we have in rural America.
Rural America is most of America. And it’s good people who live there. It’s most of this committee. A lot of our focus has been on getting broadband and high speed internet out to rural America. That’s a challenge because of the economics of it but it’s a commitment that we’re making.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Energy and Commerce Members Bob Latta (R-OH) and Peter Welch (D-VT) today announced the creation of a working group to examine the Internet of Things (IoT). The goals of the working group are to educate members on IoT, identify issues affecting deployment of these emerging technologies, explore the benefits and challenges of IoT for consumers and interested stakeholders, examine the possible role of the federal government in advancing IoT technologies, and explore the potential for public private partnerships in this sector.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-03) and Congressman Peter Welch (VT-AL) have introduced the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act to facilitate planning and coordination among government and private entities to support expanded use of the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is a network of physical, everyday objects that have network connectivity.