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Stauber Leads Bipartisan Letter to Ensure Rural Communities Gain Access to Reliable Broadband During COVID-19 Pandemic

September 14, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) led a bipartisan letter with Congressman Peter Welch (VT-At Large), requesting that the Department of Treasury allow state and local funds available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to be used for permanent broadband infrastructure in rural America. As the representative of a largely rural district, Congressman Stauber understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the inequalities already caused by the digital divide and is committed to ensuring that rural America is not left behind during or after this pandemic.

The letter reads (in part):

"The digital divide has long harmed our rural hospitals, schools, and small businesses and this problem has only become more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many in more urban and suburban communities transitioned to teleworking and telelearning, those in some rural communities are still struggling to catch up.

"During this pandemic and the various stay-at-home orders, broadband disparity in our rural communities means students must locate and find transportation to local ‘hotspots' in order to receive their education. It means our seniors and veterans are going without care as their internet connections are not strong enough to facilitate telemedicine.

"The CARES Act allocated $150 billion to state and local governments for COVID-19 response and for "necessary COVID-19 expenditures." The Treasury, however, has yet to include permanent broadband expansion in this definition. We believe it is necessary to give states and local governments flexibility to invest in broadband infrastructure to ensure that some rural communities are not further disadvantaged as teleworking, telelearning, and telehealth become more prevalent during this pandemic."

To read the full letter, click HERE.

The following, bipartisan group of Members signed onto this letter: Rep. Pete Stauber, Rep. Peter Welch, Rep. Tom Tiffany, Rep. Jack Bergman, Rep. Ed Case, Rep. Jim Hagedorn, Rep. Chris Pappas, Rep. Raul Grijalva, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Tom Emmer, Rep. Josh Harder, Rep. Elaine Luria.

Background:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congressman Stauber has made it a priority to close the digital divide. A few weeks back, he introduced the bipartisan Last Mile Act, to help deploy broadband services to small businesses located in rural communities. Read more about this legislation, HERE.

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