Sen Deb Fischer (R-NE)

We write to request that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) preserve the current rules, power levels, and frameworks governing the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band (3.55–3.70 GHz) to protect rural and Tribal broadband, promote military readiness, and support American manufacturing. CBRS’s low-power, shared-spectrum model has become vital infrastructure nationwide, with network hardware produced from American design, construction, and investment. Today, there are over 422,000 active CBRS radio devices deployed across the country.

Sens Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Reps Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission requesting a briefing to provide insight on the implementation of Congress’s universal service directives and help inform the Universal Service Fund Working Group’s leadership to modernise the Universal Service Fund. The lawmakers request a staff-level briefing covering: 

We urge the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to clarify that precision agriculture connectivity constitutes an eligible use of remaining Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment non-deployment funds. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law defines eligible locations and permissible activities in ways that encompass broadband needed for agricultural operations on farmland and ranchland.

We write to request the [NTIA's] attention to a major question emerging within the BEAD Program. Under the latest BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, many states likely will — or already do — have leftover BEAD allocations. Given the intent of Congress that these resources be used to expand broadband access nationwide, we respectfully seek clarity on how NTIA will ensure proper stewardship of non-deployment funds to close the digital divide. We respectfully request that NTIA provide: 

Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Linking Access to Spur Technology for Agriculture Connectivity in Rural Environments (LAST ACRE) Act. This legislation would create a new Last Acre Program at the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Rural Development aiming to expand network connectivity across farmland and ranchland. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) co-led the introduction of the legislation. Existing Rural Development programs support “last mile” broadband deployment, which connects broadband networks to rural households or businesses.

For pregnant women in rural areas, local resources supporting maternal health may be strained, and the nearest hospital is often far away, putting mothers and their babies at serious risk. That’s why I was proud to join my colleagues, Sens Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) to introduce the bipartisan Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act. This legislation would require the Federal Communications Commission to use data mapping to identify areas in the US that have both internet access gaps as well as high rates of poor maternal outcomes.