The Claremore Progress reports…

Today, Congressmen Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced the Rural Broadband Network Advancement (RBNA) Act, which would invest in expanding broadband access in rural areas. …

The RBNA Act establishes a new program at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would collect Network User Fees from edge providers (Netflix, AmazonVideo, etc.) based on the data transported over the last mile of networks. User fees would then be invested by the rural broadband providers to help build, maintain and operate robust broadband networks in high cost rural areas. All rural broadband providers would be eligible for the program if they provide broadband access in high cost rural areas to fewer than 100,000 customers within a state and provide the speeds required by the FCC. Click here to read the bill.

Peterson added…

“Access to rural broadband is no longer a luxury, it’s important for ensuring folks can compete and connect on a global scale,” said Peterson. “I’ve been fighting for years to ensure rural America has the same kind of access as those living in our urban areas.”