As Congress works on the Biden Administration’s infrastructure plan, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is urging particular focus on rural broadband.
The Oregon Democrat has called on the FCC to prioritize development of the utility noting broadband’s importance in providing telehealth and other services to remote, non-urban areas.
“There are dead zones all over this state," Wyden told KLCC. "I just had ten town hall meetings across Oregon, many of them in more rural areas. And we were constantly bumping up at the prospect that we couldn’t get a connection.
"I’m particularly concerned about rural areas and seniors and other folks who are falling between the gaps.”
Wyden is also among several senators supporting the Extending Tribal Broadband Priority Act of 2021. It’d give Native American tribes more time to apply for available spectrum licenses on their lands.
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