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Washington, D.C.— Today, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), Chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure led 14 bipartisan members of the Committee in writing to Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the Commission to take steps to close the digital divide facing small businesses. 

“Our interactions with small business owners and entrepreneurs in every corner of the country have confirmed that the lack of access to affordable high-speed broadband is a pervasive issue that is stifling innovation and hindering economic growth,” wrote the lawmakers. “We applaud the Commission’s efforts to find ways to improve broadband mapping data and urge the Commission to move swiftly to achieve greater granularity and increased accuracy.”

In the letter, the lawmakers press the FCC to take steps to improve its broadband mapping data and break down barriers facing small firms looking to harness innovative technologies such as TV white spaces (TVWS). They ask the FCC to provide the Committee with its plan to address these concerns by May 15^th. 

The letter comes on the heels of a Committee hearing on how Congress can work to close the digital divide, especially for small businesses operating in rural America. Watch the full hearing here.

The full text of the letter with the list of signatories is available here.

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