Re: introduction of S 2307, the Rural Broadband Enhancement Act.
Date: March 28, 2000.
Source: Congressional Record, page S1822.
| Statement by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND). Re: introduction of S 2307, the Rural Broadband Enhancement Act. Date: March 28, 2000. Source: Congressional Record, page S1822. |
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Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, today I am, along with Senator Daschle, Senator Baucus and Senator Johnson, introducing the Rural Broadband Enhancement Act to deploy broadband technology to rural America. As the demand for high speed Internet access grows, numerous companies are responding in areas of dense population. While urban America is quickly gaining high speed access, rural America is--once again--being left behind. Ensuring that all Americans have the technological capability is essential in this digital age. It is not only an issue of fairness, but it is also an issue of economic survival.
To remedy the gap between urban and rural America, this legislation gives new authority to the Rural Utilities Service to make low interest loans to companies that are deploying broadband technology to rural America. Loans are made on a company neutral and a technology neutral basis so that companies that want to serve these areas can do so by employing technology that is best suited to a particular area. Without this program, market forces will pass by much of America, and that is unacceptable.
This issue is not a new one. When we were faced with electrifying all of the country, we enacted the Rural Electrification Act. When telephone service was only being provided to well-populated communities, we expanded the Rural Electrification Act and created the Rural Utilities Service to oversee rural telephone deployment. The equitable deployment of broadband services is only the next step in keeping America connected, and our legislation would ensure that.
If we fail to act, rural America will be left behind once again. As the economy moves further and further towards online transactions and communications, rural America must be able to participate. Historically, our economy has been defined by geography, and we in Congress were powerless to do anything about it. Where there were ports, towns and businesses got their start. Where there were railroad tracks, towns and businesses grew up around them. The highway system brought the same evolution.
But the Internet is changing all of that. No longer must economic growth be defined by geographic fiat. Telecommunications industries and policy-makers are proclaiming, `Distance is dead!' But, that's not quite right: Distance will be dead, as long as Congress ensures that broadband services are available to all parts of America, urban and rural.
I look forward to working with Senator Daschle, Senator Baucus, Senator Johnson and my other colleagues in the Senate to pass this legislation and give rural America a fair chance to survive.