Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1328, the ACCESS BROADBAND Act. I would also like to take this time to thank my colleague, Representative Tonko, for asking me to partner on this very important bill. I thank him and his team for this work.

Why is this bill so important? To put it simply, people in every State of our country, including Indiana, need better access to the internet.

This is no surprise to us. Every time I am home, back in the Fifth District, Hoosiers, particularly from rural areas, tell me they are afraid of being left behind in the 21st century economy because we continue to be more and more reliant on technology.

I have spoken to many members of the Indiana Farm Bureau who have voiced their continued concerns with the level of connectivity in Indiana and, as we have learned, throughout the country. They cannot wait and hope for new technology to fix their connectivity problems that have existed for years.

Additionally, today, more and more schools require homework to be submitted electronically, tests are taken online, and class notes are posted on school websites. When students can't access the internet, they often have to travel to a library daily in order to just keep up with their studies, or they risk falling behind in their classes.

We can't forget about the impact the internet has had on businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses. This week is National Small Business Week, so small businesses from across the country are meeting with Members of Congress or their staff about the obstacles they face as they work to grow their businesses.

Each year, these advocates highlight the need for the Federal Government to better support their efforts. A significant part of that equation is working to ensure better and faster access to the internet, no matter where their business is located or no matter how large or small it is.

When small businesses don't have broadband internet access, their communities suffer, and they miss opportunities to create new jobs, drive innovation, and increase our country's global competitiveness.

For all these reasons and more, we must do more to support our communities in an age where internet connectivity is crucial to success.

Indiana has recognized this critical need and has made a commitment to invest $100 million in supporting broadband access across the State for underserved areas. This Next Level Connections program is exactly the kind of idea that the ACCESS BROADBAND Act will help support. By making Federal resources easier to access, Indiana will be better able to support its own internet access efforts.

The ACCESS BROADBAND Act is an important step toward eliminating broadband access difficulties. This bill will require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create an office to coordinate all the various Federal efforts that support broadband deployment and access. This office will perform outreach to communities in every corner of our country to inform them how they can best support internet access development. It will also require the office to standardize applications for financial assistance or grants and work to create a single application for all Federal broadband support programs.

This bill is about bringing the benefits of broadband communications into the lives of our constituents. I am glad Congress is acting on a solution to help address this problem faced not only by Hoosiers but Americans all across the country.

I thank the gentleman from New York, Representative Tonko, once again for allowing me to partner with him on this important legislation. I look forward to working with him in the future on similar issues to ensure that our country and our constituents are wired and ready to compete.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues in the House to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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