Washington, D.C. – Connect Americans Now Executive Director Richard T. Cullen released the following statement in response to the introduction of the Digital Equity Act of 2019 in the U.S. Senate, which aims to expand rural connectivity by creating two $120 million grant programs for states to create tailored “digital equity plans” and to support projects undertaken by individual groups, coalitions and communities of interest:

“Broadband connectivity is critical to success in today’s modern economy, and government at all levels should be supporting efforts to get our rural communities up to speed. We applaud Senator Klobuchar and the other leaders who took the proactive step of introducing this legislation. As lawmakers and regulators continue creating and expanding funds to support broadband deployment, it is critical that the Federal Communications Commission improves its broadband data and removes the regulatory barriers holding TV white spaces technology back in order to ensure these efforts are targeting communities that need them most and operating in the most efficient way possible.”