{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-bill-to-expand-broadband-access-to-unserved-rural-west-virginians", "Manchin Bill To Expand Broadband Access To Unserved Rural West Virginians", "2020-10-01", "2020", "2020-10", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "October 01, 2020\n\t\t\t Manchin Bill To Expand Broadband Access To Unserved Rural West Virginians \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington,\r\nDC  Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced\r\nthe bipartisan Eliminate the Digital Divide Act which would create a $10\r\nbillion fund to help rural states like West Virginia expand broadband access in\r\nunserved areas. We all know access to reliable broadband is vital for small\r\nbusinesses, healthcare, students, and families, but West Virginia and rural\r\nAmerica are still being left behind, said Senator Manchin. The Eliminate\r\nthe Digital Divide Act would distribute $10 billion equally based on each\r\nstate's total of underserved areas, not just to the easiest and least costly\r\nareas. In fact, this bill includes $1 billion for high cost areas like West\r\nVirginia with mountainous terrain and other complicating factors so they can\r\nreceive their fair share of funding to expand broadband coverage. I urge my\r\ncolleagues on both sides of the aisle to join our legislation and help bring\r\nbroadband access to every American, no matter where they live. The\r\nEliminate the Digital Divide Act would: \r\n Address\r\nthe Rural Digital Divide\r\nby creating a $10 billion State Broadband Program where governors receive\r\nfunds based on the number of unserved individuals in their state, not\r\nthrough the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) normal reverse\r\nauction process that disadvantages rural areas that are more expensive to\r\nserve. Governors will partner with broadband service providers to build\r\nout networks to their unserved individuals.\r\n \r\nUnserved\r\nareas will be based on the Broadband DATA Act, which requires the\r\nFCC to create a new, more accurate national map of unserved areas. As the\r\nonly Member of Congress to formally challenge the federal broadband\r\ncoverage maps, Senator Manchin has been fighting to ensure that this\r\nprocess gets funding to the people that need it the most. \r\nStates\r\nand local governments will also have a chance to challenge the maps to\r\nensure that areas without service are eligible for funding  which is\r\noften not the case. Senator Manchin knows that West Virginians can tell you\r\nwhere there is and isn't coverage throughout the state, and this bill\r\nallows them to have a voice in the process. \r\nHigh\r\ncost areas will receive additional funding assistance through a set aside\r\nof $1 billion specifically for areas where broadband infrastructure is\r\nmore costly to build, including rural, mountainous areas like West\r\nVirginia that are more than 3 times more expensive to serve on average\r\nthan areas like Oklahoma. \r\nStates\r\nwill partner with broadband entities to build in unserved areas within 3\r\nyears of receiving awards. The bill also establishes a mechanism to hold\r\nproviders accountable if they fail to provide the promised service on\r\ntime.  \r\n Address\r\nthe Urban/ Low-Income Digital Divide\r\nby providing a platform for consumers to access information on the\r\nbroadband options available to them.\r\n \r\nAmends\r\nthe Broadband DATA Act to require the FCC to also collect data\r\nfrom broadband service providers on any low-income service options\r\noffered to their subscribers.\r\nThe\r\nplatform would provide consumers with the capability to enter their own\r\nfinancial information and see if they qualify for any state or federal\r\nsubsidy programs (like Lifeline) and how to apply for that program. One\r\npager on the Eliminate the Digital Divide Act can be found here. Section by section of the Eliminate the Digital Divide Act can\r\nbe found here. Bill text can be found here.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-bill-to-expand-broadband-access-to-unserved-rural-west-virginians"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4871109742671251, "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"}