WASHINGTON – Legislation was introduced this past week to promote precision agriculture and rural broadband deployment to the nation’s cropland and ranchland.
The “Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018,” introduced by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., would direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a task force to identify gaps in high-speed internet connectivity for the nation’s cropland and ranchland, according to a news released issued jointly by the two senators.
The measure also would instruct the FCC to develop ways to encourage broadband adoption and precision agriculture in areas where it is currently unavailable.
Precision agriculture describes the use of mobile devices, robotics, field sensors, remote monitoring and other technologies to manage agricultural production, the news release said.
In many areas of the United States, reliable, high-speed internet connections are not consistently available to support precision agriculture operations.
- Identify and measure current gaps in broadband coverage.
- Assemble a comprehensive guide of all federal programs or resources dedicated to expanding broadband access.
- Develop policy recommendations, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to promote the rapid, expanded deployment of fixed and mobile high-speed broadband, with the goal of achieving service on 95 percent of croplands and ranchlands in the United States by 2025.
- Recommend specific steps the FCC can take to ensure that available farm data from the USDA is reflected in developing Federal programs to deploy broadband.
- Submit an annual report to Congress detailing the status of fixed and mobile broadband coverage; the projected future connectivity needs of agricultural operations, farmers, and ranchers and the steps being taken to accurately measure the availability of high-speed broadband on croplands and ranchlands.
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