The Senate has passed the Rural Wireless Access Act of 2017.
The bill, motormanned by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Communications Subcommittee, requires the FCC to come up with a consistent methodology for wireless broadband coverage data.
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The goal is to make sure rural areas and urban areas get equitable broadband infrastructure treatment.
“Unless we have accurate information about where the coverage gaps actually are, we cannot put a solution in place that improves the high-speed internet service of consumers in rural areas,” Wicker said in a statement. “This legislation is designed to help the FCC achieve that goal, bringing us one step closer to closing the digital divide.”
