Houchin pushes for broadband access for farms, rural areas

Area congresswoman Rep. Erin Houchin is introducing a bill to ensure rural and agricultural lands are accurately reflected on the FCC’s National Broadband Map.

According to her office, the Data BRIDGE Act, or the Data Broadband Reporting and Integration for Deployment in Geographically Essential Areas act, will help direct federal broadband funding to the fields, pastures, and production areas that need it most. The FCC’s current broadband map primarily focuses on locations like homes and businesses but often misses the surrounding farms. High speed connectivity is needed for modern tractors, planters, sensors, and irrigation systems.

Houchin said that farmers in Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District rely on broadband to stay competitive in the modern economy. She describes the act as a low cost solution to ensure federal broadband investments reach the areas where work happens. The USDA already collects land data, and the bill directs the FCC to integrate that data into existing maps with no new cost.

Houchin said she has fought for years to expand rural broadband in Indiana and the bill will help “close the connectivity gap for our farm families and rural communities.”