WASHINGTON—Sen. Chuck Grassley this week joined a bipartisan letter calling on the Federal Communications Commission to address outdated broadband rules that negatively impact rural consumers.
The current rules prevent rural consumers from having access to choices that are available in urban areas. In most cases, rural customers are required to purchase a traditional landline, even as Americans continue to move away from landlines in favor of wireless access.
“Unfortunately, the FCC’s…rules have not kept pace with changing technology and shifting consumer preference,” the senators said in the letter. “Ironically, these outdated rules may hurt lower-income rural customers the most, possibly putting the price of broadband out of reach unless those consumers make the additional expenditures to buy POTS [landlines] as well.”
Grassley joined 60 of his colleagues in sending the letter including Senators John Thune, Amy Klobuchar, Roger Wicker, Brian Schatz, Roy Blunt, Maria Cantwell, Kelly Ayotte, Joe Manchin, Deb Fischer, Michael Bennet, Jerry Moran, Heidi Heitkamp, Dan Sullivan, Al Franken, Ron Johnson, Ron Wyden, Cory Gardner, Jeanne Shaneen, Steve Daines, Angus King, Mitch McConnell, Dick Durbin, Tom Cotton, Tammy Baldwin, Joe Donnelly, Mike Rounds, Kirsten Gillibrand, Pat Roberts, Jon Tester, John Barrasso, Debbie Stabenow, Claire McCaskill, Jeff Merkley, John Boozman Johnny Isakson, Mike Crapo, Shelley Moore Capito, Thom Tillis, Dan Coats, Bill Cassidy, John Hoeven, Mike Enzi, James Risch, Orrin Hatch, Joni Ernst, Tim Scott, Lindsey Graham, Richard Burr, Rob Portman, James Inhofe, Lisa Murkowski, Lamar Alexander, David Vitter, Bob Corker, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Patty Murray, Gary Peters, Dean Heller, and Tim Kaine.
A signed copy of the letter is available here.
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