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Washington, D.C. \u2013 [September 4, 2018] \u2013 Betsy Huber, President of the National Grange, made the following statement in response to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr\u2019s September 4 announcement regarding the FCC\u2019s next 5G order on the small-cell approval process:<\/p>\n
\u201cCommissioner Carr\u2019s announcement of the FCC\u2019s latest 5G order in Indianapolis today\u2014to break down deployment barriers, streamline the approval process for small cells and make the process more cost-efficient\u2014is welcome news to America\u2019s agricultural communities. Small cells are the building blocks of the 5G network that will help improve the power of and access to high-speed Internet for these communities, and help farmers and ranchers from across the nation operate more efficiently and better deliver their products to market.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur members and affiliates are encouraged by and grateful for the FCC\u2019s commitment to making sure all communities\u2014not just large cities and suburbs\u2014have access to powerful 5G technology. By encouraging municipalities to deploy small cells\u2014and making it easier for them to do so\u2014the Commission will help stimulate billions of dollars\u2019 worth of broadband investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only will this help create tens of thousands of jobs and save billions in fees, it will also more quickly deliver this cutting-edge technology to rural and agricultural communities\u2014and with it, its many benefits, from local job creation and economic growth to better access to educational, health care, and other services, to improved public safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe congratulate the Commission for their hard work on this issue, and look forward to working with Commissioner Carr and others at the FCC to ensure rural and agricultural communities can access the same powerful technologies as their urban and suburban counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"