'Where There's Access, There's A Way': Rural Internet and Technology Neutrality

Modernizing Rural Development Programs

• 💡 Representative Zach Nunn highlights the need to modernize USDA's rural development programs, many of which are decades old.
• 🚀 He has introduced the Rural Micro Entrepreneurial Assistance Program to update loan caps and provide capital for rural entrepreneurs.
• 🏠 Nunn also co-led a rural housing reform package to ensure affordable housing options in small towns.
• 🤝 He is working with Ranking Member Don Davis on the Revitalizing Rural Communities Act to boost funding for economic development.

The Importance of Rural Broadband

• 💻 Rural broadband is no longer a luxury but a necessity for small businesses, schools, and farmers.
• ⚠️ Challenges remain in not only getting broadband to rural areas but also ensuring it's at effective levels.
• 🎯 Programs like Reconnect aim to expand broadband access, but Congress can partner to ensure faster, reliable delivery to underserved areas.

Technology Neutrality in Rural Broadband

• 🗺️ The Rural Reconnect program is praised for its technology-neutral approach, acknowledging that different regions require different solutions.
• 🌐 This flexibility is crucial because rural landscapes, like Iowa's plains versus New Mexico's rocky areas, necessitate varied technological approaches.
• 🔮 The future of technology is unknown, so maintaining a technology-neutral stance allows for innovation with overhead, celestial, or traditional broadband solutions.
• ✅ The principle of "where there's access, there's a way" underscores the potential for innovation when connectivity is provided.