Sens Baldwin, Ernst Lead Bill to Cut Red Tape, Expand Internet Access in Rural Communities

Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to broadband in rural areas and ease the burden of regulatory costs for smaller broadband providers that rural communities rely on. The Access to Capital Creates Economic Strength and Supports (ACCESS) Rural America Act provides regulatory relief to rural telecommunications service providers by allowing them to submit streamlined financial reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These small companies—many of which are the sole service providers in their region—could be put out of business by regulatory costs and unnecessary red tape. Specifically, this bipartisan legislation would create an exemption from certain SEC public registration and reporting requirements for rural telecommunications companies. This will save these small companies from costly and burdensome requirements that were never intended for them.