Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today discussed her bipartisan legislation to improve rural broadband access during a video call with high school students in Elko, Nevada. The Senator’s Connected Rural Schools Act would add broadband and other internet accessibility technologies to the list of items eligible for federal funding through the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program.
“21st century technology makes it possible for me to video teleconference with students about the issues that matter most to them, but the reality is that Congress still has work to do to improve broadband access for students in rural communities. That’s why I’m doing everything I can to improve rural broadband and school connectivity and provide students in Elko and across Nevada with the tools they need to reach their full educational potential.”
BACKGROUND:
220,000 Nevadans lack access to adequate broadband, and 100,000 Nevadans live in areas without wired internet. This week, Senator Cortez Masto introduced the Connected Rural Schools Act to enable federal investment in improving broadband for students across Nevada. Earlier this year, she introduced the ACCESS BROADBAND Act to better coordinate federal broadband resources for businesses and underserved urban and rural communities in the Silver State to ensure dollars reach the areas most in need.
The Senator has also cosponsored other bills to expand broadband services and connectivity:
- The Broadband DATA Act to improve the accuracy of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband availability maps.
- The Digital Equity Act to create new federal investment in programs that promote digital equity, including broadband expansion projects that move us toward digital access for all Americans.
- The Moving FIRST Act to provide funding for innovative transportation projects that often include broadband developments in underserved urban and rural communities.