Brady to Yellen: 'It is critical that our rural communities, other vulnerable areas do not get left behind'

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) has asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to consider allowing public-private partnerships for federal broadband internet access in rural areas.

"COVID-19 has amplified the need for rural broadband access for health, education and more,” Brady said on Twitter. “That's why I sent a letter to @SecYellen highlighting the importance of using rural broadband funds correctly to strengthen transparency, improve coordination and close the digital divide."

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 included $10 billion for broadband, Brady said.

“Give equal consideration to public-private partnerships when directing funding for broadband infrastructure,” Brady wrote Yellen. “Public-private partnerships have been proven to be a successful method of efficiently delivering broadband to rural communities.”

Those partnerships combine the expertise and financing capital of private companies with the “knowledge and resources of local entities,” the congressman said.

Those areas without broadband should be given priority “before upgrading existing networks,” he added.

Nearly a million Texas residents lack any internet service and 300,000 locations are underserved, Brady said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the need for broadband to access education, health care and employment in addition to many aspect of daily life,” Brady wrote. “As our nation recovers from the pandemic, it is critical that our rural communities and other vulnerable areas do not get left behind.”

More than 20% of residents of rural areas don’t have access to high-speed internet, Successful Farming reported, quoting statistics from the Center for Rural Innovation.

There are proposals in Congress and in President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal for more funding for broadband. It would cost at least $60 billion to bridge the gap between rural and urban broadband, Successful Farming reported.

Republicans in Congress have introduced the Broadband for Rural America Act, which would create a calling for a three-year, $7.35 billion broadband program.

The American Farm Bureau Federation backs that bill in addition to the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility Act.