Title: Recognizing the importance of broadband in rural areas throughout the United States and the critical need to invest in broadband expansion in an increasingly connected and digitally dependent world.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
This resolution addresses the need for improvements to broadband infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, and the role of specified federal agencies in making such improvements.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 885 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 885

 Recognizing the importance of broadband in rural areas throughout the 
United States and the critical need to invest in broadband expansion in 
        an increasingly connected and digitally dependent world.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 2022

   Mr. Baird (for himself, Mr. Cuellar, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Lucas, Mr. 
   Babin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Barr, Mr. Bost, Mr. Budd, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. 
 Carey, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Ms. Cheney, Mr. Cole, Mr. Crawford, Mr. 
  Rodney Davis of Illinois, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. Fallon, Mr. Feenstra, Mr. 
 Ferguson, Mrs. Fischbach, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, Mr. 
 Harris, Mrs. Hartzler, Ms. Herrell, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Johnson of South 
   Dakota, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Kustoff, Mr. LaTurner, Ms. 
    Letlow, Mr. Mann, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Meijer, Mrs. Miller of West 
 Virginia, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Moolenaar, 
  Mr. Obernolte, Mr. Rice of South Carolina, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Smith of 
    Missouri, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Steube, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. 
Williams of Texas, and Mr. Wittman) submitted the following resolution; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the importance of broadband in rural areas throughout the 
United States and the critical need to invest in broadband expansion in 
        an increasingly connected and digitally dependent world.

Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in remote work and digital 
        communication among all Americans, more so than ever before;
Whereas, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses, schools, 
        government agencies, and organizations devised remote work strategies 
        and invested in digital alternatives to replace in-person, paper-based 
        methods of doing business;
Whereas, since the COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to rural community 
        businesses struggling to stay afloat, children accessing virtual school 
        from remote and other digitally underserved locations, and individuals 
        seeking to access health care as rural hospitals have closed, broadband 
        remains critically essential to rural communities;
Whereas technology is transforming the agriculture industry and changing the way 
        farms operate, and such advances are largely dependent on maintaining 
        strong internet connectivity in rural communities;
Whereas innovation on farms and in other rural settings is severely hampered if 
        these locations lack access to robust broadband;
Whereas broadband disparities continue to exist between rural and urban 
        communities, despite the growth and normality that remote work and 
        digital communication have achieved in the past two years;
Whereas consistent internet connectivity is essential for farmers, and a gap 
        currently persists among rural and urban communities with respect to 
        delivering high-speed and reliable broadband to all Americans;
Whereas high-quality internet access is essential for Americans to work, learn, 
        and communicate with one another, and it is therefore important that 
        broadband access in underserved communities be improved and maintained;
Whereas approximately 60 percent of broadband capacity is used by large 
        providers of content streaming services, and rural broadband providers 
        have difficulty in raising prices to cover the costs associated with 
        this ever-growing demand; and
Whereas one of the most vital needs of our country is modern and durable 
        infrastructure, which includes strong and robust broadband: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives finds that--
            (1) the Nation's broadband infrastructure is in critical 
        need of improvement, particularly as it affects Americans 
        located in rural communities who continue to struggle to stay 
        connected in an increasingly connected and digitally dependent 
        world;
            (2) in order to expand rural broadband assistance and to 
        improve the administration and accountability of the broadband 
        programs in rural communities, the Department of Agriculture 
        should utilize its expertise, experience, and reach to bring 
        these investments to rural America quickly and responsibly;
            (3) the Federal Communications Commission should study the 
        current and projected demands on rural broadband networks 
        associated with services offered by large providers of content 
        streaming services; and
            (4) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
        Policy should establish a broadband research and development 
        working group to address national research challenges and 
        opportunities for improving broadband access and adoption 
        across the United States.
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