Cornhusker State News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, spoke on the Senate floor recently about the importance of protecting rural communications and media, including rural and agricultural television and radio programming

As the top Republican on the Senate Rules Committee, Senator Fischer recently approved the addition of RFD-TV to the Senate TV network. RFD-TV is one of the preeminent sources of rural news in the country.

Senator Fischer also has led legislation to protect access to AM radio in automobiles and improve broadband mapping to benefit unserved rural areas. 

Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, 46 million Americans live in rural areas. This includes 35 percent of the residents in my home state of Nebraska.

Often, in the government, we focus on the majority of Americans living in urban population hubs. But we have just as much of an obligation to the millions of rural citizens in our country.

Communications access is foundational to our quality of life, especially in rural areas where the closest neighbor can be many miles away.

That’s what I want to focus on today. As a member of the Senate Commerce and Agriculture Committees, I have the privilege to regularly advance communications policy that benefits all Americans, including those in rural areas.

I’ve led multiple pieces of legislation to improve broadband mapping to benefit unserved, rural areas—including the Broadband Funding Map that the president signed into law as part of the bipartisan infrastructure package.

It’s vital that every last mile and acre of our country has access to reliable Internet—whether for telehealth appointments or to make use of more efficient agricultural technologies.

But broadband isn’t the only type of communication rural communities rely on. Especially for households without Internet service, they rely on television programming to keep updated about the world around them.

The wellbeing of rural Americans and a robust media made up of diverse viewpoints are important to me and Nebraskans throughout the state. And access to rural and agricultural programming benefits all Americans.

Farmers and ranchers in Nebraska depend on this content for relevant news, information, and lifestyle programming. We’re talking about everything from in-depth reports on weather patterns, agribusiness news, commodity market swings, western sports, and more.

This programming delivers essential information to producers that directly impacts the way they manage their operations and plan for the future.

At the same time, Americans on the coasts and in major urban and suburban areas also benefit from programming that helps them understand major issues affecting the country that originate in the heartland. And rural programming doesn’t mean old reruns of Green Acres or The Beverly Hillbillies.

Rural and agricultural programmers are in a unique position to educate the public on what it means to be a family farmer and rancher. On how producers are some of the best stewards of our natural resources. And on what the future of agriculture—and producing the food we all need—looks like.

This is one reason I was pleased, as Ranking Member of the Rules Committee, to recently approve RFD-TV to be added to the Senate TV network. RFD-TV is one of the preeminent sources of rural news in the country. 

Networks like RFD-TV work hard to cover the issues affecting the agricultural sector and rural communities. The Senior Senator from Minnesota and I approved its addition to the Senate TV network because that unique perspective and expertise is a must-have here in Washington, where we all work on policies affecting rural America every single day.

And it’s not just TV programming that provides critical news and information to rural communities. Millions of Americans use AM radio to stay up to date on what’s affecting them.

In Nebraska, we have a long history of farm broadcasters who help farmers and ranchers thrive. Today there are still over 40 AM stations based in the state.

Unfortunately, some have lost sight of the fundamental role broadcast radio plays in rural America. A number of automakers announced plans this year to remove AM broadcast radio access from some of their vehicles.

This would deal a blow to the millions who need AM radio access to receive emergency alerts in remote areas, as well as be aware of local news and weather conditions. AM radio is not just a luxury—as the backbone of our Emergency Alert System, it can be a question of life or death for people during natural disasters and severe storms.

My colleagues and I are concerned about how this decision will affect the safety of Americans—that’s why we introduced a bicameral, bipartisan bill to preserve AM radio access despite some automakers’ efforts to get rid of it.

Our bill, the AM for Every Vehicle Act, would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to issue a rule requiring all motor vehicles to have access to AM broadcast stations.

The legislation is already having an impact. It recently spurred Ford Motor Company to reverse course and restore access to AM radio to its upcoming car models.

But passing our bill into law is the only way to prevent other automakers from abandoning AM radio, against the best interests of the millions of people in rural areas where wireless warnings can be difficult to receive.

The American people who travel to work and school on rural roads each day are relying on us to ensure they don’t lose access to local news, weather, emergency alerts, and public safety announcements from AM radio.

As members of the U.S. Senate, we represent millions—millions—of people in rural communities across the country. We can’t let rural voices be put aside while we prioritize other issues. Let’s continue to appreciate rural TV and radio and advance legislation that supports the critical services they provide.

Thank you. I yield the floor. 

Original source can be found here