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Floor Speech

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Mr. MARSHALL. Madam President, for the past 6 years, my staff, my family, and I have traveled to every corner of the State. We have crisscrossed it multiple times. We have been in every county in Kansas multiple times--town halls and roundtables and listening sessions. In fact, just last week--the last week we were on break--we probably made a dozen stops. At every one of those stops, at every one of those roundtables, I can guarantee you the subject of high-speed internet came up.

Together, we built solutions to address the challenges our rural areas are facing. Together, we built hospitals, municipal water facilities, grocery stores, and critical infrastructure in our State's communities. But despite all of these achievements, many Kansans agree that one job is still not finished, and that is the crucial task of building out high-speed broadband connectivity to every part of the State.

Nothing highlighted the inadequate infrastructure for high-speed broadband across Kansas more than the COVID-19 lockdowns. Our schools and businesses across the State were shut down. Hundreds of thousands of Kansans were sent home to do their jobs and schoolwork. A lackluster internet connection impacted children's education across the State and many families' ability to keep up with remote work.

Rural broadband's impacts go far beyond the classroom for our Kansas communities. In today's quickly evolving cyber world, adequate internet connection is a necessity, not just a luxury. Doctors at my alma mater, KU Med Center in Wichita, are trying to offer clinical trials to rural Kansan participants through secure video checkups. Having a premier healthcare virtual consultation option in communities where there is a shortage of access to quality care can save the patient hours of driving and, in many cases, save their lives.

In addition to healthcare benefits, having high-speed internet brings our farming techniques into the 21st century. In rural areas, the capability of using the best technology available in farming practices depends on a reliable internet connection. Precision agriculture internet apps allow farmers to monitor conditions--hour by hour, second by second--more effectively in the field, and they can track crop yields and feed the world, producing more food with less--more food with less water, more food with less fertilizers.

By utilizing this latest farm equipment, our State's farmers and ranchers are able to leave the land cleaner, healthier, and safer than when we found it.

Madam President, the call for a strong internet connection across Kansas has only grown. That is why I rise today to highlight the importance of broadband expansion.

There is still so much work to be done to get rural America up to speed, and I realize this work will never be done, just like our roads and bridges that were amplified so much in the 1950s and 1960s. We still have to go back and repair those roads and bridges. There is always one more road and bridge that we need to go back and fix, and that will be the rule with high-speed internet. There is always something bigger and faster out there that we need to keep pace.

I am proud to have played a role as a member of the Kansas House Agriculture Committee in 2018 when we drafted the farm bill, which directed both the USDA and FCC with dollars to fund new and innovative ways to connect rural residents.

In 2018, we authorized the ReConnect Program at the USDA, which awarded funding for broadband connectivity services to under- and unserved areas. ReConnect provided $5.2 million to connect over 1,300 households, 16 businesses, and 23 farms in Kansas during its first round of funding.

In 2023, we introduced a new effort in the 2023 farm bill, with my colleague and fellow member of the Senate Ag Committee, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont. The ReConnecting Rural America Act provides a minimum speed of 100/100 high-speed internet build-out speeds, prioritizing long-term broadband infrastructure in our most rural communities.

Every Kansan I have spoken to has voiced the need for symmetrical speeds in their community and for increasing investments in fiber to be made by providers. By bolstering broadband infrastructure for our rural communities, we are able to stay up to speed with what is happening in the rest of the world.

Through these Federal efforts, combined with the administration of funds at the State level, I believe that we are getting closer than ever to making a real impact in rural broadband connectivity. Still, we must stay dedicated to the task at hand and ensure that this infrastructure is built to last.

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