Rep. Pence touts broadband expansion

Sixth District Representative Greg Pence has put forth an amendment to expand high-speed internet access.

The Columbus Republican is touting his recent bill targeting broadband improvements to rural areas. Pence says these improvements aren’t just for entertainment needs. He explains that more and more farm equipment can connect to the internet. In addition, Pence says that there’s a number of rural schools in the district that still don’t have access to quality high-speed internet.

Pence says that nearly a third of residents in the Southeastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s nine-county area lack 25/3 access. 25/3 means internet service of at least 25 megabits per second download speed and three megabits per second upload speed.

Pence’s amendment passed 425-6 and provides $75 million in grant funding to address the broadband needs of rural communities.

The House of Representatives is currently on break from Washington D.C. They return Sept. 9th.