Affordable rural internet needed


By: Kenton Janzen, Lorraine
Great Bend Tribune
10/02/2018

Dear editor,

Kansas is an important agricultural state. We rank 7th in overall agricultural production and produce more wheat than any other state in the nation. Our largest revenue comes from raising cattle and calves, with corn, soybeans, and hogs adding to our overall agricultural output. Although the Kansas ag sector is diverse, all of our farmers are linked by the need for better broadband services.

Access to high speed internet is as important to the modern farmer as fertile soil and quality implements. It connects growers to precision agriculture capabilities and cattle farmers to markets and auctions. Without broadband, the men and women in our sector cannot access crucial weather updates or go on-line to shop for needed supplies.

Connect Americans Now (CAN) has found a way to bridge the rural broadband gap. The CAN approach leverages the power of television white spaces to allow for affordable internet. This powerful spectrum can carry broadband signals to even the most remote parts of the country, and the costs would be minimal compared to the more expensive fiber cable.

I am calling on Senators Roberts and Moran to consider calling on the Federal Communications Commission to approve the use of television white spaces.

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