May 2018

Sens Udall, Gardner Introduce Bill to Put Wi-Fi on School Buses

Sens Tom Udall (D-NM) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced a bill to put wireless internet on school buses in order to help students without broadband access at home get online to study and do homework.

Sens Wicker, Hassan, and Moran Introduce ‘MAP Broadband Act’ to Address Wireless Coverage Map Gaps

Sens Roger Wicker (R-MS), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the “Mobile Accuracy and Precision Broadband Act” (MAP Broadband Act) (S 2955). If enacted, the bill would help improve the accuracy of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mobile broadband coverage map and ensure that federal resources are targeted to unserved communities that do not have access to reliable mobile broadband service. The legislation would address problems with the FCC’s Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) presumptive eligibility maps.

FCC Commissioner Carr Announces Great Plains Broadband Tour

Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr will visit the Great Plains from May 29 to June 1, with events in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. The trip will focus on rural broadband deployment, including the opportunities it creates in smart agriculture, telehealth, job creation, and workforce development. The trip will include events with Sen Deb Fischer (R-NE), Sen John Thune (R-SD), and Gov Dennis Daugaard (R-SD).