By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves understands it won’t be a cure-all, but insists the E-BRIDGE Act that has been signed into law will take a giant step toward expanding broadband for hard-to-reach parts of the country.
Graves, the Republican chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, sponsored the legislation along with three other members of Congress. Graves says installing the last mile of fiber optic cable is the most expensive.
“We can’t slow down or stop until everyone has access to good, high-speed internet,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s the same way when we were electrifying all the rural areas or when we were getting phone service to all the rural areas. We eventually got it done and it going to obviously take some time, but we’ll get there.”
E-BRIDGE is short for the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility Act. Congress approved it late last year as part of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act. The grants allow communities to partner with the private sector to expand internet access. It is aimed at spreading broadband to rural America, but it also targets economically distressed communities.
Graves says it is vital that all communities have access to the internet.
“Whether it’s rural health care or tele-medicine or education, whatever the case may be, everyone should be able to have access to high spread internet,” Graves says.
Graves says it is the last mile of fiber optic cable that is the most expensive.
Graves first introduced the measure six years ago.
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