BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a founding co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, today applauded a joint progress report released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that outlines the positive momentum in the Broadband Opportunity Council’s effort to expand high-speed internet access across the country. Senator King has been a constant advocate for broadband infrastructure development, particularly in rural Maine.

“Broadband is a critical part of America’s infrastructure, and can be a driving force for economic development in our communities,” said Senator King. “The initial Broadband Opportunity Council report in 2015 was a good start, and I am encouraged by the progress outlined in this report as multiple federal agencies continue to work together to advance broadband development across the country. I hope the incoming administration will continue to advance efforts to expand the reach of broadband, and I look forward to working with them and my colleagues on this issue that is so important to Maine and to rural America.”

The report released today by the NTIA and USDA outlines the progress made by the Broadband Opportunity Council, a collaborative initiative led by the U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and Commerce, which was founded in March 2015 and first identified a series of steps and actions in a report later that year that could be taken to increase broadband deployment, competition, and adoption. Senator King welcomed that initial 2015 report, after he had urged the Agriculture and Commerce Secretaries to prioritize rural broadband and help close the digital divide for rural America.

Today’s report demonstrates how the 25 participating agencies have made significant progress to expand support for broadband investments, empower communities with tools and resources to attract broadband investment and promote meaningful use, promote increased broadband deployment and competition, and improve data collection and research on broadband.

Maine communities have already started to see benefits from the Broadband Opportunity Council’s efforts. For instance, broadband had not traditionally been considered for federal economic development funding from agencies such as the Economic Development Administration (EDA).  But one of the completed actions highlighted in this progress report is that EDA funding is now available for broadband projects, and a notable project in Sanford, Maine has already been selected for EDA funding to build a local high speed broadband network.

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