Letter to Rep. Sanford Bishop, Chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Ranking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee - Balderson Requests Full Funding for Rural Broadband Program

Letter

Dear Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Fortenberry:

As you begin work on the fiscal year 2020 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, & Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, I urge you to fund the Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program, also known as the ReConnect program, at a full funding level of $600 million.

Adequate funding for the ReConnect program is essential because too many communities lack sufficient broadband access and infrastructure, which is crucial for Twenty-First Century life. The ReConnect program provides federal grants and loans to facilitate broadband deployment to the nation's most technologically-underserved communities. Broadband infrastructure can help rural communities access telemedicine, improve responsiveness times for emergency services, increase education opportunities, and support workforce development.

At a fiscal year 2020 funding level of $600 million, the program will be able to provide high speed internet e-Connectivity and broadband access to communities that do not have sufficient infrastructure for connectivity. The $600 million funding level aligns with the program's original appropriation in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-141) enacted on March 23, 2018.

I urge you to support this full funding level for the ReConnect program. Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

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