WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today hosted a Senate Broadband Caucus event to highlight the need for better, more accurate broadband coverage maps. In addition to opening remarks by Senator Capito, a co-chair and founder of the caucus, and fellow co-chairs Senators Angus King (I-Maine), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the event featured a panel discussion with public- and private-sector leaders on challenges and solutions related to broadband mapping. Senator Capito expects to introduce legislation later this week that would help lead to more granular mapping—especially in rural America—and address many of the mapping issues discussed during today’s event.
“I can drive through my state and tell you where we’re going to have dropped service, where we’re going to have no service, and a lot of times, it’s not accurately reflected in what we hear from providers and also what we see on the maps. So it’s a source of great concern for all of us. We’re all stakeholders in this,” Senator Capito said. “We want to see a lot of equity between urban and rural, and getting good accuracy on our maps is something that is exceedingly important.”
The event is the latest in a series of Senate Broadband Caucus events highlighting the benefits of improving connectivity in West Virginia and states across the country.
An archived webcast of the event it available here.
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