Modernization, Accountability, and Planning for Broadband Funding Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an issue that is near and dear to the State of Nebraska and to rural America, and that is the issue of closing the digital divide for unserved and underserved communities.

My husband Bruce and I raised our family on a cattle ranch near Valentine, NE, so I know what it means to live in a community where reliable internet is a luxury--it is not a given--and I know the opportunities rural America is missing as a result, from education and telehealth to entrepreneurship and precision agriculture.

Over the past decade, Congress has provided tens of billions of dollars for hundreds of programs administered by more than a dozen Federal Agencies. The centerpiece of that investment was the BEAD Program--a more than $40 billion broadband deployment initiative included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and it was enacted into law nearly 5 years ago.

As part of that legislation, I worked in a bipartisan fashion with Senator Cortez Masto to create the Broadband Funding Map--an FCC tool that provides a public overview of broadband infrastructure deployment projects that are funded with Federal dollars. But now we must ask, are those dollars making a difference for the families, for the businesses, and for the communities that need them the most? The American people, Federal Agencies, and broadband providers deserve clarity so they can make informed decisions about where additional investment is needed. This will also help avoid duplicative Federal funding.

Since then, we have identified a need for fresh oversight of the FCC's management of this tool. That is why Senator Cortez Masto and I introduced the MAP for Broadband Funding Act. At its core, this bill is about accountability. It will strengthen oversight of the Federal Communications Commission and direct it to review how usable and accurate that map really is for the public and also for providers. It also tasks the Government Accountability Office with ensuring Federal Agencies are reporting information correctly. If the map is flawed, then the billions of dollars that are tied to it risk missing the mark.

I am proud that this bipartisan bill cleared the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously in February. Now it is time for the full Senate to pass it too. Americans will be better connected and better served because of it.

407, S. 2585.
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Mrs. FISCHER. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.
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Mrs. FISCHER.

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