WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today introduced the Rural Broadband Improvement Act of 2007, a bill to reform the federal Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program.

"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 promote broadband availability in rural areas that do not have access.

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. In September 2005, egregious examples of waste and abuse were clearly illustrated by the USDA Inspector General.

Senator Roberts was joined by Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) in introducing the Rural Broadband Improvement Act. "I am proud to have Senator Salazar of Colorado, Kansas’ neighbor to the West, join me in this bipartisan effort." Roberts said, "From the outset, this bill has been a consensus-driven, comprehensive approach to RUS reform."

The legislation helps broadband providers close gaps in rural broadband coverage by taking four basic steps:

• Focus the Broadband Program on rural areas that do not have access to broadband;
• Enhance incentives for investment and increase the feasibility of loans in rural areas;
• Improve the responsiveness of RUS to Loan and Loan Guarantee applicants;
• Create a new grant program to expand opportunities for state-private partnerships to map where broadband is available, and conduct outreach to areas where it is not.

Roberts looks forward to working on this 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.