Congresswoman Julia Letlow (R)
Congresswoman Julia Letlow joins House Agriculture Republicans to introduce the Broadband for Rural America Act. It is one of several infrastructure proposals to help to bridge the digital divide for communities.
“It authorizes funding for critical rural broadband programs. It also targets limited resources on the most rural and links rural residents which are often the most expensive to connect,” said Letlow.
Letlow said a least 350-thousand households in Louisiana do not have high-speed internet as defined by the FCC. Letlow said that’s roughly the population of Shreveport, Bossier, Monroe, and Alexandria combined.
Letlow said the funding is part of the USDA’s $7 billion authorized for connectivity programs.
“It’s important that we have that reliable and affordable internet connection and so we want to make sure that we’re a part of the conversation,” said Letlow.
The majority of households lacking broadband in the state are located in the state’s Fifth Congressional District that Letlow represents.
“I don’t know the exact timeframe. I am learning that in government things tend to run slower than I would like. We are pushing hard to make sure that this happens as soon as possible,” said Letlow.
Letlow campaigned on bringing broadband connectivity to rural Louisiana.
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