Senator Baldwin Joins Bipartisan Group Urging Continued Broadband Deployment in Rural Communities

Press Release

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, joined a group of 56 Senators in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue advancing broadband deployment in rural communities. In a letter to Chairman Pai, Commissioner O'Rielly and Commissioner Clyburn, the Senators expressed concerns about the high cost of these critical services in many rural communities and stressed that more Americans should have the opportunity to purchase affordable broadband to keep them connected.

"We appreciate the steps taken by the FCC last year to address this concern. However, we are still hearing frustration about the prices for and the availability of standalone broadband. Many operators remain unable or unwilling to offer such broadband because their prices would still be unreasonably high even after the reforms. Other operators may offer standalone broadband, but the costs they are forced to recover from rural consumers far exceed what urban consumers would pay for the same service," the senators wrote in a letter led by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Deb Fischer (R-NE).

As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Baldwin has made it a priority to expand and improve communications infrastructure in rural areas of Wisconsin:

-In January, Baldwin joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging President Trump to include broadband in any infrastructure initiative.

-In February, Baldwin joined a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to the new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asking him to prioritize mobile broadband deployment in rural and underserved areas.

-In March, Baldwin hosted a rural broadband roundtable in Eagle River with local community leaders and broadband advocates on broadband expansion, adoption and utilization in rural Wisconsin.

In addition to Senators Baldwin, Klobuchar and Fischer, the letter was also signed by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Al Franken (D-MN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Pat Roberts (R-PA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Todd Young (R-IN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Rob Portman (R-OH), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Boozman (R-AR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Gary Peters (D-MI), James Inhofe (R-OK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John McCain (R-AZ), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tim Scott (R-SC), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Mike Enzi (R-WY).

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