Ted Budd: “During the pandemic, much of our lives has been forced online. Our children are learning remotely. Our businesses are…”

“During the pandemic, much of our lives has been forced online. Our children are learning remotely. Our businesses are conducted through webcams. Even Sunday church services are now live-streamed on Facebook. For the estimated 500,000 North Carolinians who lack dependable internet access, these temporary changes have been debilitating. Making sure rural families have quality internet access is a top priority for me, Mr. Speaker. That is why I sponsored the RURAL Act, which is now the law of the land. It helps ensure that rural telephone and electric co-ops have more dollars for broadband investment. No one in our district should have their level of internet access determined by their ZIP Code, and I am going to keep fighting for broadband access across all of our rural communities. ____________________”