[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16510]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  BRINGING BROADBAND TO RURAL AMERICA

  (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, a recent Department of Commerce report 
states that only 38.9 percent of rural households have Internet access.
  In this unprecedented age of information and global interaction, 
broadband access and the Internet are critical elements. Americans are 
increasingly using online services to conduct such everyday activities 
as bank account transactions, personal correspondence, shopping, and 
research. As our Nation continues to evolve, access to the 
opportunities of the Internet will have an important supporting role in 
the economic, educational, and social successes of our citizens.
  Today, along with the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), I am 
introducing the Rural American Technology Enhancement Act, or RATE, of 
2001. The legislation will: one, provide incentives to expand 
broadband/high-speed telecommunications access to rural America; two, 
provide incentives and tax credits for expanding and relocating high-
tech businesses to rural America; three, provide funding to prepare, 
educate, and train our current and future workforce for high-tech-based 
employment; and finally, establish an Office of Rural Technology within 
the Department of Agriculture to coordinate rural technology programs 
and act as a clearinghouse for government and private, high-tech grant 
information.
  Broadband access should not be an intangible idea lying beyond the 
reach of our rural citizens. We must continue to take steps to expand 
access to these information resources and include those Americans who 
are currently being left behind in the effort to eliminate the digital 
divide.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in the support of this 
legislation.

                          ____________________