[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EXPANDING RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, more than 500,000 
Pennsylvanians lack access to fast and reliable internet service at 
their homes, often adding a layer of difficulty to students who are 
trying to learn, to businesspeople who are trying to engage in commerce 
from their homes, or to patients who are trying to connect with their 
physicians for telehealth visits.
  As I travel throughout my district, I hear from farmers who struggle 
to implement precision farming due to a lack of GPS signal. When I 
visit schools, I hear from teachers about students who struggle to 
complete their homework simply because they lack access to high-speed 
internet in their homes.
  These problems are persistent, and each contributes to the larger 
issue: that rural communities are suffering from a lack of access to 
broadband internet.
  To ensure that our rural communities are not left behind, it is time 
for Congress to commit to building out rural broadband infrastructure 
as part of the agriculture and rural development appropriations.
  Ensuring high-speed internet connections, whether from fiber-optic 
cables, wireless towers, or satellite, will ensure that students are 
able to learn from home, that employees are able to work from home, and 
that patients are able to heal from home.
  We as a Congress must stand committed to rural broadband development.


                        Protecting Our Farmland

  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, right now, nearly 400,000 
acres of American farmland are owned by Chinese investors.
  The increasing reach of the Chinese Communist Party is incredibly 
alarming, as this land is being purchased near sensitive military 
installations and other areas critical to our national security.
  It is imperative that the Biden administration gain a better 
understanding of these land purchases and develop programs to halt the 
purchase of agricultural land by those associated with China, Russia, 
North Korea, and Iran.
  We must ensure that the USDA is able to improve tracking of foreign 
land ownership and help to ensure that our communities are protected 
and safe from the actions of the Chinese Communist Party.
  This is a national security issue, and it is time for Congress and 
the Biden administration to take swift and decisive action to protect 
our American farmland.

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