Robert Aderholt
Right now, in our country, there are 21.3 million rural Americans who live without reliable broadband. Here at home access to broadband is below the national average, with almost a third of homes in rural Alabama lacking access to a reliable broadband connection. This reality impacts so many people in our district, and the Coronavirus pandemic has only put a spotlight on this digital divide.
Immediate Need
As you know, rural broadband has been one of my top priorities in Congress for a long time. We have been able to make big strides in recent years by implementing programs like ReConnect, which I was proud to have led the fight to get that created. However, I know that more needs to be done, and the Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted how important it is to finally get rural broadband done.
When this pandemic started, I knew that broadband would be an essential issue with millions of people forced to work from home. While many were able to transition to teleworking, for folks in rural areas this has been extremely difficult. It was because of this that I fought hard to secure funding for rural broadband in the CARES Act, and I was very pleased that $340 million was allocated to this issue. Here is how that funding was broken down:
$340 million to Rural Broadband
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- $200 million to FCC’s Connected Care Pilot program
- $100 million to go through the ReConnect program
- $25 million to the Distance Learning and Telemedicine programs
- $15 million to the Rural Telehealth programs LHHS and HRSA
This funding is a step in the right direction, but if it is only used for temporary measures in rural communities then the problem on inadequate rural broadband will continue to persist. That’s why I urged Congressional leadership to make CARES Act funds eligible for permanent rural broadband infrastructure and that Congress provides additional time for the buildout of new infrastructure.
Kids Starting School
I believe one of the most critical reasons to secure high quality and reliable broadband for rural communities is the fact that school is starting up all across Alabama. While we are all eager to get our kids back in school, the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced school districts to make tough decisions between reopening completely, implementing a hybrid model, or going fully online. What makes this decision even harder for schools is that many of their students will not have access to the broadband they need to attend virtual class or complete online learning. This reality is beyond unacceptable. Kids should not have to sacrifice their education just because they live in rural communities and don’t have reliable broadband.
Solutions are Overdue
As I said earlier, there have been great strides made over the past few years when it comes to rural broadband. However, there is a long way to go, and solving this issue once and for all is long overdue. I will continue to do everything in my power to secure high quality and reliable broadband across our state, because no community should be without it. The fight for this issue is not over, and I am certainly not putting my gloves down anytime soon – it’s high time we get rural broadband done.
High School Football Is Back
Finally, I want to mention that high school football is back across Alabama. The pandemic has created a number of challenges to schools and to athletics, but most have found a way to move forward.
Just as I support a fall college football season, I believe having a high school football season can be done safely for the student athletes, the coaching staff and the fans. I also believe that having sports is a big morale booster for everyone involved.
So good luck to all the schools across the 4th Congressional District. I hope you have a safe, healthy and successful season. And Go Lions!
Media Release/Office of Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt
