Bart Stupak: “It seems like the rural areas always come last. I guess I should be used to it by now, after all, many of my…”

“It seems like the rural areas always come last. I guess I should be used to it by now, after all, many of my constituents in northern Michigan can't get mail service to their doorsteps, our veterans have to travel on average 6 hours to get specialized healthcare from a VA center, and it required a federal law merely to get electricity to many portions of my district. I am therefore not surprised that rural areas are the last to get broadband as well. But let me be clear--this bill will do nothing to bring broadband to rural America. In fact, quite the opposite, H.R. 1542 will make it even more difficult for my constituents and for rural citizens across America to get broadband. H.R. 1542 claims to require broadband deployment to rural areas by laying out a 5 year timetable, with a schedule of 20 percent, 40 percent, and 70 percent buildout in the first 3 years. In fact, this will allow the Bells to sit on their current deployment for years.”