The Farm Bill Fight That Will Shape Rural Broadband

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AK) held a markup hearing on his version of the Farm Bill on Thursday, August 6. It didn’t go very well. In the long-delayed milestone meeting—which could ultimately reshape Rural Americans connections to the Internet—Republicans were unable to move their bill forward. Democrats held together, and the absence of two GOP senators, Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), meant the measure failed on a 10-11 vote. Most people think of the Farm Bill primarily because of its connections to crop insurance, commodity price supports, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the legislation, which Congress reauthorizes roughly every five years, governs an enormous swath of American agricultural and rural policy, including conservation programs, farm credit, rural water and wastewater infrastructure, forestry, and energy. The current fight between the House and Senate over SNAP funding levels has been the loudest obstacle to passage, and proved to be the case on Thursday. But tucked inside the Farm Bill’s rural development title is a provision that governs the future of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect broadband program.