WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today said proposed changes to the federal Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program are not comprehensive enough to improve access to broadband for rural communities.

"High-speed Internet access is as important to rural communities today as interstate highways were in the twentieth century, and railroads in the nineteenth century," Senator Roberts said. "If we are to close the digital divide we need a comprehensive approach that effectively targets rural America."

Congress authorized the Broadband Loan Program as part of the 2002 farm bill. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency within U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for administering the loan program and using it to close the digital divide in rural areas without broadband service.

Unfortunately, the agency’s implementation and administration of this program has strayed from the rural focus Congress intended – RUS has used its limited funds in urban areas, suburban developments, and towns that already have access to high-speed Internet, Roberts said. In September 2005, egregious examples of waste and abuse were clearly illustrated by the USDA Inspector General.

At issue are new regulations, proposed by RUS last Friday, regarding the administration of the Broadband Loan Program.

"RUS has had nearly two years to reform this program and ensure that it is meeting Congressional intent," Roberts said, "I am disappointed in the agency’s proposals because they do not sufficiently address the needs of rural, unserved citizens."

Roberts looks forward to addressing the issue with his colleagues as the Senate Agriculture Committee begins work on the 2007 farm bill.

Senator Roberts, a former Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is an advocate for programs that benefit rural communities and residents across Kansas.