Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) announced their “Access to Capital Creates Economic Strength and Supports Rural America Act” unanimously passed in the Senate. The ACCESS Act expands rural broadband access by easing the burden of regulatory costs for smaller broadband providers that rural communities rely on.
Baldwin says access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury. “It’s a necessity for rural Americans to work, attend school, run their businesses, manage their farms, and connect with people around the world,” she said. “For too long, small providers, often in rural areas, get caught up in burdensome regulations, which stopped them from reaching more people.”
The legislation provides regulatory relief to rural telecommunications service providers by allowing them to submit streamlined financial reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of the NTCA – the Rural Broadband Association, thanked them for getting the bill through the Senate.