Priorities for Rural America in 2018
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
Recently in Congress, we’ve been successful in undoing burdensome regulations put in place during the previous administration, providing tax relief for American families and businesses and strengthening our armed forces. We have also worked to relieve local financial institutions from regulations that hindered their ability to best serve their customers. As we begin this new year, we hope to build on those successes and focus on growing our economy, especially in rural areas.
Rural South Dakotans are feeling the effects of the recent downturn in the ag economy. As I’ve written about a number of times, free and fair trade is vital to the agriculture industry in South Dakota. Fortifying our existing trade relationships and identifying new markets for our crops and products will benefit our producers. Additionally, a strong farm bill that adequately supports the federal crop insurance program and increases the cap for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres is vital to helping the ag economy recover from its recent recession.
Another component to strengthening rural America that has recently received attention is the importance of increasing access to high speed internet in rural areas. Broadband connects us to the world, and it’s important that we bridge the digital gap to provide rural communities with access to the same information as the rest of the country. High speed internet access can help students learn, which will give them better opportunities for a brighter future. It can help businesses expand by allowing them to participate in the modern economy, hire more employees and increase wages.
South Dakota has long been at the forefront in this arena, as we led the nation in connecting classrooms to the internet. While I was working as governor, South Dakota became one of the first states to join the Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ State Leadership Initiative, an effort to help our young people be competitive in an increasingly technological world.
The president recently signed two executive orders to provide broader and faster internet coverage. The first order instructs the Department of Interior to allocate resources for rural broadband installation. The other order requires agencies to use standardized forms and contracts to make the installation process as efficient as possible. Additionally, discussions are underway regarding an infrastructure bill that, in addition to improving roads and bridges, will encourage the development of new wireless towers near rural communities. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to cut down on roadblocks so we can bring faster, stronger and even better broadband to rural South Dakota.
South Dakota is a rural state and agriculture is our top industry. Our thousands of farmers and ranchers play an important role in feeding and fueling the rest of the world. In addition to a strong farm bill, increased trade opportunities and fewer burdensome regulations, access to high speed internet is important for them to run their businesses and increase productivity.
The U.S. economy is making a comeback. We need to make sure that the economy in rural America is growing right along with it. I’ll continue working in the Senate to create a friendly business environment so companies are encouraged and incentivized to expand into rural areas, and access to high speed internet is an important component of that.
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