{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8C66CFA0-5A4B-46BD-A678-B05918FECAB7", "Thune, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect, Expand Rural Broadband Access", "2021-11-23", "2021", "2021-11", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the funding mechanisms for the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF), which promotes universal access to broadband and other telecommunications services.\n\n\u201cIt is crucial that rural communities across South Dakota have access to reliable broadband services,\u201d said Thune. \u201cFor years I have fought for predictable and sufficient support for broadband providers to help enable the continued deployment of these services throughout our communities. I\u2019m proud to support this legislation that builds on those efforts to ensure that the FCC\u2019s Universal Service Fund remains sustainable in the future.\u201d\n\nThe USF \u2013 which includes programs to support broadband access in rural communities, facilitate rural health care, and expand access to affordable broadband service for low-income families, schools, and libraries \u2013 is largely funded by fees imposed on landlines. As the use of landlines continues to decline, this places a disproportionate impact on seniors, who are significantly more likely to use a landline than younger adults.\n\nThe Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act directs the FCC to initiate a rule making proceeding to reform the contributions system, taking into account the fairness and the relative burden any changes in fees will have on consumers and businesses, as well as the impact the proposed changes to the contribution system will have on seniors.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:30:49Z"]], "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.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8C66CFA0-5A4B-46BD-A678-B05918FECAB7"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4977110549807549, "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"}