WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, today announced his support for President Trump’s commitment to promoting enhanced broadband access in rural America.

“President Trump understands high-speed broadband service is essential to supporting rural economies, boosting job creation, and helping farmers deploy precision agriculture technology,” Wicker said. “I look forward to working with the President to close the broadband gap in rural communities and bring American Internet infrastructure into the 21^st century.”

On Wednesday, President Trump pledged to include a provision in his infrastructure plan to “promote and foster enhanced broadband access for rural America.”  President Trump’s speech was part of the Administration’s “Technology Week,” in which White House officials have been meeting with leaders from the public, academic, and private sectors to help solve America’s infrastructure problems.

Wicker has been active in the Administration’s efforts to modernize rural broadband access. On Monday, Wicker attended a meeting with President Trump and the White House Office of American Innovation to discuss options for modernizing federal technology systems and policies. On Tuesday, Wicker chaired a hearing to explore using the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF) to help expand broadband service in rural America. Earlier this year, Wicker introduced the “Rural Wireless Access Act of 2017” to require the FCC to standardize broadband coverage data, ensuring that federal funds are spent on deploying broadband in rural communities that truly need it.