Weaknesses in broadband coverage in rural areas were highly evident in 2020. House Agriculture Committee members heard from those who expressed the need to update maps on areas that remain underserved, as well as offer flexible funding to spread out costs to extend broadband coverage.
Extended broadband coverage is important to extend the value of telehealth for all species, livestock monitoring systems, agricultural platforms, as well as for marketing, sales and education outreach to animal health customers.
Source: Feedstuffs, April 20, 2021. Link.
Of the Americans who do not have broadband access, rural Americans constitute 78%. . . although fiber is the gold standard in terms of speed, it is also expensive. Ensuring technology neutrality allows for the best solutions.” – Vickie Robinson, Microsoft