Rep. Kevin Brady Reaches Out To Yellen About Rural Broadband

WASHINGTON, DC —Rep. Kevin Brady (R-8th-Conroe) published a letter Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen offering recommendations about broadband infrastructure projects funded by the American Rescue Plan.

In the letter, dated June 7 and published on Brady's Twitter account, Brady thanked Yellen for her role in distributing pandemic relief to vulnerable American families and workers. But Brady, who is the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said he hoped Yellen would consider a few recommendations about how the $10 billion Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CCPF) of the stimulus bill should be spent.

According to Brady, his three recommendations would "strengthen safeguards and coordination of these funds to connect rural communities to high-speed internet, result in sustainable projects and close the digital divide."

Brady's recommendations are:

1. Give equal consideration to public-private partnerships and municipally-owned networks when directing funds for broadband infrastructure.

"Public-private partnerships provide the expertise and financial capital of private companies with the knowledge and resources of local entities," Brady wrote. "Giving state and local governments the option to establish public-private partnerships - over the sole option of government-owned networks- will avoid unfair competition in areas where networks already exist."

2. Prioritize underserved areas with the greatest need before upgrading existing networks.

According to Brady, a report last year revealed 300,000 locations in Texas are underserved and 926,859 Texans do not even have access to the internet.

"It is my hope, the primary goal of the CCPF for broadband infrastructure is to connect rural households like many in Texas where service is unavailable," Brady wrote. "Without access to broadband, Americans do not have access to telehealth, remote learning or innovative solutions for businesses during emergency situations."

3. Coordinate between relevant agencies to avoid duplicative spending to ensure areas in need are not overlooked.

In the name of avoiding government waste, Brady's letter encourages interagency communication between agencies that offer federal funding programs for broadband infrastructure, including: The Federal Communications Commissions (FCC), the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Agriculture Department (USDA's) Reconnect Program.

According to Brady, the Broadband DATA Act, which recently was passed by congress, will establish at the FCC a tool for determining which locations are undeserved by broadband access.

"We encourage the Treasury to base funding decisions on these maps to prevent duplicative overbuilding by other federal agencies," Brady said.

Brady finished the letter by stating: "The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the need for broadband to access education, healthcare and employment in addition to many aspects of daily life. As our nation recovers from the pandemic, it is critical that our rural communities and other vulnerable areas do not get left behind."