Rep. Schrier Highlights 8th District Needs During Broadband Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) participated in an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on broadband equity, focusing on addressing disparities in access and affordability of reliable internet. During the hearing, Rep. Schrier emphasized the importance of broadband in the 8th district. A clip of Rep. Schrier's remarks can be found here.

"I'm glad that we are holding a hearing on this important issue, which has taken on even more urgency and attention during the pandemic," said Rep. Schrier. "Access to broadband now translates to access to education, work, and telehealth. In Washington state, for example, we see strong availability in our urban areas but access to robust connectivity fades rather quickly in our sub-urban areas and then dramatically in our rural regions. Access issues don't stop there. Very few of our 29 recognized tribes in Washington state have access to adequate broadband. Tribal communities have been historically underserved."

During the hearing, Rep. Schrier highlighted the $500 million in grant funding in the LIFT America Act, specifically for tribes to increase connectivity and access for Tribal communities. She discussed the needs of rural communities, underscoring the work being done by Public Utility Districts (PUDs) in Central and Eastern Washington. Rep. Schrier also spoke about the public-private partnerships happening in State Broadband offices like the one in Washington state.

Rep. Schrier continued: "These partnerships can find creative ideas for broadband deployment to close those gaps in access where private investment alone just doesn't pencil out. The hope is that great ideas imagined and implemented by smart state broadband offices partnering with private industry could be replicated and scaled up elsewhere in the country!"

Today's hearing is the latest in Rep. Schrier's work to expand connectivity to rural communities throughout Washington and the country. Last month, Rep. Schrier participated in an Agriculture Committee hearing on internet connectivity needs and opportunities in rural America.

Shortly, she will be introducing legislation to create a yearlong competitive grant program available to established state broadband offices to cultivate private and public partnerships with the goal of improving broadband connectivity. Funds from this bill can be used for innovative efforts to reach communities, such as: mapping and data collection to target underserved and unserved areas; evaluating broadband costs and local community needs; increasing network resiliency from natural disasters; and assisting underserved farmers and growers so they can access technology to increase productivity.