Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased the House is considering my bill today, H.R. 4824, the Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act of 2018. I want to express my appreciation to Senator Orrin Hatch, who introduced the bill in the Senate, as well Chairman Rob Bishop for moving the bill through the Natural Resources Committee. I would also like to thank various stakeholders that have taken part in the process creating this bill. Additionally, I would like to thank the 12 Members who joined me on this important bill as cosponsors, including my good friend from Montana (Mr. Gianforte). The need to give greater access to high-speed broadband services for rural communities is broadly supported, evidenced by the diverse coalition of stakeholders supporting my commonsense legislation, including NTCA, WTA, the American Library Association, the Utah Education and Telehealth Network, the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Utah Rural Broadband Association, and the Navajo Nation, to name just a few. The purpose of my bill is simple: We need to do a better job connecting our rural and remote communities with greater access to broadband and high-speed internet. I believe that increasing access to broadband services in rural areas, like many places in my home State of Utah, is an important first step to help bridge the digital divide and to provide an enhanced quality of life for these areas.…”