WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today issued the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to move forward with Phase II of the Universal Service Fund’s Mobility Fund, which is aimed at providing broadband service to rural and underserved areas:

“I support the FCC’s decision to expand broadband access in some of our country’s most hard-to-reach areas. Phase II of the Mobility Fund is designed to remove barriers to deployment, ultimately promoting innovation and jobs in underserved locations like rural Mississippi. I commend Chairman Pai for his leadership on this issue and look forward to working with the Commission in our continued efforts to close the digital divide between America’s urban and rural areas.”

Earlier this month, Wicker lead a bipartisan letter to the new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asking him to prioritize mobile broadband deployment in rural America.