The head of the Rural Broadband Association says the COVID pandemic has spotlighted who is connected and who is not, and she expects it to become a national priority with the incoming Biden Administration.
CEO Shirley Bloomfield tells Brownfield she’s hopeful Congress will pass another relief package before the end of the year which could include $10 billion for broadband.
“That glaring gap of where you were able to access the technology really hit home. When I talk to members of Congress, they would say it is the first thing that comes up in a townhall.”
She says broadband has been a bipartisan issue both parties are getting behind with the ReConnect Program investing more than a billion dollars invested since 2018. Bloomfield says broadband support initiatives with the new administration have ranged from $20 to $80 billion in early discussions.
