Grange Files Comments Supporting Restoration of Internet Freedom at the FCC
The National Grange submitted comments in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Restoring Internet Freedom.
For 150 years, the National Grange has worked to ensure that all communities directly benefit from the latest advances in communications technologies. We have consistently supported Commission efforts to promote better high-speed internet access for all Americans, regardless of location.
For these reasons, we urge the Commission to review the findings of a December 2016 Congressional Research Service (CRS) paper, which states, “[T]he rate of broadband deployment in urban areas appears to be outpacing deployment in rural areas.” CRS’s paper based this statement on “recent surveys and studies [which] have indicated that, in general, rural areas tend to lag behind urban and suburban areas in broadband
deployment.” The FCC’s 2016 Broadband Progress Report finds that 39 percent of rural Americans (23 million people) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps” while “only 4 percent of urban Americans lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps broadband.”
