Finkenauer Chairs Field Hearing in Gettysburg, PA on Rural Broadband Access

Statement

Hearing held in Ranking Member John Joyce's (PA-13) district

Monday, Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) chaired a Rural, Agricultural, Trade and Entrepreneurial (RATE) subcommittee hearing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to hear how a lack of access to reliable and affordable broadband impacts rural communities. The hearing was held in Ranking Member John Joyce's (PA-13) district.

"Field hearings play an important role in the work of our Committee. Traveling to Washington, DC and testifying before Congress can be hard for a lot of people," Finkenauer said, "Congressman Joyce's district and my district share some similar challenges when it comes to deploying broadband in rural areas. Today's hearing reaffirmed what we already knew, a lack of access to high-speed broadband in rural America is hurting people regardless of the state they live in and the party they support. I'm happy the Congressman Joyce is committed to working on this bipartisan issue, and together, we can keep moving closer to a solution."

Finkenauer serves on the Rural Broadband Taskforce and has introduced the Broadband Transparency and Accountability Act to address the digital divide through improved broadband mapping. Currently, inaccurate data on broadband services restricts competition and inflates prices in many rural areas, preventing the communities that need it most from accessing broadband.

"In the 21st century, access to technology is synonymous with success. In Pennsylvania, more than 800,000 people live without reliable access to the internet," said Congressman Joyce. "Today's hearing was an important opportunity for Pennsylvanians to share their firsthand challenges to access rural broadband. This issue connects Americans in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and throughout our nation. As the Republican Leader of a subcommittee addressing rural development, I am committed to working alongside Chairwoman Finkenauer to develop bipartisan solutions that will never allow rural communities to fall behind."

Local leaders and stakeholders testified during the hearing and explained how a lack of broadband internet coverage hurts rural residents and business owners.

According to a 2018 Pew Research survey, more than 50% or rural residents believe access to high-speed broadband internet is a problem.

This summer, Finkenauer invited Iowan Dan Stelpflug to testify at the RATE subcommittee to ensure Congress is hearing directly from Iowans who are impacted by a lack of high-speed broadband coverage. She also hosted Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in Dyersville and Cedar Rapids to discuss the need to expand broadband access in Eastern Iowa.

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