Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Hoeven Cosponsored to Improve Broadband Availability for Precision Agriculture

Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of Senate Agriculture Committee, Friday, December 7, announced that the Senate has passed bipartisan legislation he cosponsored to improve broadband availability for precision agriculture.

“Precision agriculture reduces input cost and improves yields,” said Hoeven. “Farmers and ranchers need dependable access to broadband in order to take full advantage of the wide range of these agriculture technology products. Our legislation will help identify gaps in coverage and ensure we enact solutions to address problem areas.”

The Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act (S. 2343) requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a task force comprised of public and private sector members to accomplish the following:

• Identify service gaps for broadband internet access on agricultural land;
• Create a comprehensive guide of programs and resources working to expand coverage;
• Develop and recommend policies and programs to address the gaps and achieve 95 percent coverage of croplands and ranchlands by 2025.