{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/new-hawley-bill-would-strengthen-rural-broadband-buildout-bring-fcc-dollars-back-to-missouri/", "New Hawley Bill Would Strengthen Rural Broadband Buildout, Bring FCC Dollars Back to Missouri", "2024-08-01", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced new legislation to help deliver reliable internet to more rural Americans by returning dormant federal funding back to the state it was intended for.\n\n\u201cMissourians and rural Americans across the country are losing out on internet service thanks to failed funding policies,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cMy bill would put states in charge of their own broadband funding\u2014not government-backed companies that overpromise and under-deliver.\u201d\n\nThe Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) current funding structure favors large companies that reap billions in federal government contracts meant to provide high-speed internet access to rural communities. These companies, however, often fail to meet obligations, leaving federal funds in default and America\u2019s rural communities without internet service.\n\nSo far, the FCC\u2019s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund has seen more than $2.8 billion in defaulted funds.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s Broadband Fairness Act would:\n\nAllocate defaulted FCC funds to the state that originally received the award for broadband deployment;\n\nEnsure that the geographic region where an award defaulted is eligible for other broadband funding opportunities; and\n\nAllow states to supplement other grant funding to complete broadband projects.\n\nThe Missouri Farm Bureau has endorsed Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:41:32Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/new-hawley-bill-would-strengthen-rural-broadband-buildout-bring-fcc-dollars-back-to-missouri/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.905768945813179, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}