Senators Form Broadband Caucus to Bring High-Speed Internet to Rural Areas

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – For some Americans signing on to the Internet isn’t as easy as a click of a button.

West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito said roughly 30 percent of people in her state don't have access to broadband service that meets the Federal Communication Commission's requirements.

"What I found is a lot of other states have the same problem, particularly in rural areas," Capito (R-WV) said.

So she’s teaming up with Senators Angus King (I-ME), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and John Boozman (R-AR) to form a Broadband Caucus. They all have communities with significant roadblocks to connectivity.

"If you’re going to develop businesses, have entrepreneurs, run a small business you got to have good Internet. Even in emergency situations we find it hampering.

Just this past year, the FCC found roughly 23 million Americans lack access to high-speed Internet. Capito tells me the new caucus will work to connect these rural areas and bridge the digital divide.

“Highlight the problem, get good statistics, and find solutions to get quicker, more accessible Internet access to the rural parts of our country," Capito added.

And it’s not just households. The FCC also said 47 percent of our nation’s students lack broadband connectivity in their schools. The FCC says more work could be done in both the private and public sectors to expand access to all Americans. This group of Senators plan to make it possible.