ELY, NV – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the G22 bipartisan group that wrote and negotiated the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which recently passed the United States Senate, hosted a roundtable discussion with community leaders in Ely focused on the need to expand and improve broadband in Nevada.
“Fast, reliable internet access is critical to our daily lives,” said Senator Rosen. “It was great to sit down today and hear from key stakeholders in Ely who understand the importance of addressing and eliminating broadband disparities here in Nevada. Broadband expansion is an investment in our communities and in our future success, which is why I am proud to be a co-author of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which makes major investments in broadband, particularly last-mile and middle-mile broadband infrastructure, to connect our rural communities.”
“In White Pine County, the lack of access to broadband deprives Nevadans of needed tools for success,” said Caroline McIntosh, Chair of the White Pine Broadband Action Team. “Without broadband, local businesses can’t provide services online, students can’t use the internet to learn, and Nevadans can’t seek health care from their homes. Senator Rosen recognizes the challenges that lack of broadband access brings, and she has helped to lead on this important issue. Her work in Congress will get more Nevadans connected while reducing the price of broadband for customers, benefitting countless Nevada families.”
BACKGROUND: As a member of the G-22, Senator Rosen helped draft the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a once-in-a-lifetime investment in American infrastructure. Significant portions of the broadband section were co-written by Senator Rosen, including:
- The $42.45 billion state broadband deployment grant program to connect unserved and underserved communities to reliable, high-speed internet via last-mile infrastructure;
- This section was co-written by Rosen and based on the Collins-Rosen American Broadband Buildout Act and Cornyn-Manchin-Collins Rosen American Broadband Buildout to Eliminate the Digital Divide Act;
- $1 billion for critical middle-mile broadband infrastructure to connect internet carriers to local networks and community institutions to increase broadband access to unserved and underserved communities, based on the text of Rosen’s Middle Mile Broadband Deployment Act; and
- Funding to states to assist and support broadband offices, based on the text of Senator Rosen’s S.2668, which requires the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide assistance relating to broadband access.
The bill also includes a $2 billion set-aside specifically for tribal broadband and over $14 billion to provide affordable broadband to low-income households via a $30/month benefit.
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