[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 
                        REVIEW OF RURAL BROADBAND 
                      PROGRAMS OPERATED BY THE U.S. 
                       DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S 
                         RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE 
=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                 SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPECIALTY CROPS, RURAL
                  DEVELOPMENT AND FOREIGN AGRICULTURE

                                 OF THE

                        COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                       ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                               MAY 1, 2007

                               __________

                           Serial No. 110-16


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                        COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE

                COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota, Chairman

TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania,            BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia,
    Vice Chairman                        Ranking Minority Member
MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina        TERRY EVERETT, Alabama
BOB ETHERIDGE, North Carolina        FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma
LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa             JERRY MORAN, Kansas
JOE BACA, California                 ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina
DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California        TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia                 SAM GRAVES, Missouri
JIM MARSHALL, Georgia                JO BONNER, Alabama
STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, South     MIKE ROGERS, Alabama
Dakota                               STEVE KING, Iowa
HENRY CUELLAR, Texas                 MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE, Colorado
JIM COSTA, California                RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado            CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, Jr., 
BRAD ELLSWORTH, Indiana              Louisiana
NANCY E. BOYDA, Kansas               JOHN R. ``RANDY'' KUHL, Jr., New 
ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio               York
TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota           VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York      K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas
STEVE KAGEN, Wisconsin               JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
EARL POMEROY, North Dakota           JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio
LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee             ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
JOHN BARROW, Georgia                 KEVIN McCARTHY, California
NICK LAMPSON, Texas                  TIMOTHY WALBERG, Michigan
JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
TIM MAHONEY, Florida

                                 ______

                           Professional Staff

                    Robert L. Larew, Chief of Staff

                     Andrew W. Baker, Chief Counsel

                 April Slayton, Communications Director

           William E. O'Conner, Jr., Minority Staff Director

                                 ______

    Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign 
                              Agriculture

                MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina, Chairman

JIM MARSHALL, Georgia                MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE, Colorado,
HENRY CUELLAR, Texas                      Ranking Minority Member
JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado            TERRY EVERETT, Alabama
JOHN BARROW, Georgia                 ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
EARL POMEROY, North Dakota           JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
                                     ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina

                Aleta Botts, Subcommittee Staff Director

                                  (ii)





























































                             C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
 McIntyre, Hon. Mike, a Representative in Congress from the State 
  of North Carolina, opening statement...........................     1
 Musgrave, Hon. Marilyn N., a Representative in Congress from the 
  State of Colorado, opening statement...........................     4
     Prepared statement..........................................    48
 Peterson, Hon. Collin C., a Representative in Congress from the 
  State of Minnesota, opening statement..........................     5
     Prepared statement..........................................    47
 Goodlatte, Hon. Bob, a Representative in Congress from the 
  Commonwealth of Virginia, prepared statement...................    49
 Herseth Sandlin, Hon. Stephanie, a Representative in Congress 
  from the State of South Dakota, prepared statement.............    50

                               Witnesses

 Andrew, Mr. James, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, 
  United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.......     7
     Prepared statement..........................................    51
 Geller, Dr. Jack, President, Center for Rural Policy and 
  Development, Saint Peter, Minnesota............................    27
     Prepared statement..........................................    66
 Simmons, Mr. Tom, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, 
  Midcontinent Commutions, Sioux Falls, South Dakota on behalf of 
  Natioanl Cable and Telecommunications Association, Washington, 
  D.C............................................................    29
     Prepared statement..........................................    72
 McCormick, Mr. Walter B. Jr., President and Chief Executive 
  Officer, United States Telecom Association, Washington, D.C....    31
     Prepared statement..........................................    83
 Law, Mr. Denny, Eastern Regional Manager for Golden West 
  Telecommunications Cooperative, Wall, South Dakota, on behalf 
  of Natioanl Telecommunications Cooperative Association.........    32
     Prepared statement..........................................    87
 Felty, Mr. Kevin, General MAnager, Plains Cooperative Telephone 
  and President, Colorado Telecommunications Association, Joes, 
  Colorado.......................................................    34
     Prepared statement..........................................    93

                         Additional Statmenets

 Lytle, Mr. Gary, Senior Vice President of Federal Relations, 
  Qwest Communications...........................................    99


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