USDA Nominee Glen Smith Vows Review of Rural Broadband Programs

President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as undersecretary for rural development at the Department of Agriculture, Glen Smith, pledged to review how the agency can better coordinate its rural broadband expansion efforts. During his nomination hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee, Smith equated high-speed internet access with a “higher quality of life” and repeatedly called for improving broadband infrastructure to help revitalize rural economies. Sen Joni Ernst (R-IA), pressed Smith to address what she described as “duplicative” efforts among the government’s 133 broadband programs, including six under USDA Rural Development. Ernst highlighted her Streamlining Rural Broadband Act, which would merge the department’s Community Connect grant program into ReConnect. To this, Smith agreed to review USDA’s portfolio, saying it would be a “priority.”