Congressman Harris Holds Briefing on Rural Broadband Issues

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Andy Harris M.D. (MD-01) Chairman of the Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Rural Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, held a briefing with Congressional members and the recent nominee for Deputy Secretary at USDA, Xochitl Torres Small on the USDA’s ReConnect broadband program. Since its implementation in 2019, the ReConnect program has been well received but there are obstacles affecting the program including finding skilled labor, permitting delays and costs, and general mapping accuracy.

Congressman Harris Statement: “We are all acutely aware of the lack of broadband access in rural areas across the country, and that’s why this is such an important issue. By USDA’s own estimates, 22% of rural areas and 28% of Tribal lands lack fixed terrestrial coverage of minimum broadband speeds. We need to improve those numbers and address the increasing demand for faster speeds. We certainly understand that funding helps, but it is going to take more than that to expand broadband--most notably maximizing limited resources through effective program execution. The purpose for today’s hearing was to hear more about the general state of the program, other challenges the program is facing, and how Congress can be helpful in getting it done.”  

Background on the ReConnect Program: In 2019, Congress established and provided funding for the ReConnect program. The program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to build broadband infrastructure to rural areas without sufficient access.  Generally, the program defines rural areas as those populations with 20,000 or less inhabitants.

For media inquiries, please contact Congressman Harris’ Washington, DC office at 202-225-5311, or contact Anna Adamian at [email protected]