Political Quotes

“This April, the House Agriculture Committee hosted an important hearing on one of America's most pressing issues, broadband connectivity. For years, the digital divide has left many Americans unable to access reliable high-speed internet service, resulting in lost opportunities to expand businesses, learn new skills, or even participate in daily activities. I see this cost and frustration every day. I am fortunate to live in the service territory of a rural electric cooperative which offers quality internet services to my home. But, just a few miles away, my neighbors are on the wrong side of the digital divide. I represent 14 counties in rural Pennsylvania, and I can tell you, it is like this all across my district, with digital haves and have-nots just down the road from one another. It is a checkerboard of connectivity. In the height of the pandemic, I heard one too many home-schooling horror stories that were a result of not having reliable access to the internet. A number of families were driving to the nearest local library, sitting in the parking lot, and connecting to the public WiFi in hopes of completing assignments. COVID-19 laid bare the urgency of rural broadband, but the connectivity struggles in rural communities predate this pandemic, and they will not ease as we return to normal.…”