JEFFERSON CITY Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, in partnership with Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins, directed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging them to rightfully return defaulted funding through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to Missouri to expand broadband and rural internet access.
“As Attorney General, I will enforce the laws as written, which includes ensuring the FCC follows precedent and returns the allocated funding to Missouri families who depend daily on internet access,” said Attorney General Bailey. “My office will continue to fight to gain affordable internet service and to save Missourians’ taxpayer money.”
Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins added that “Missourians expect accountability, both from internet service providers who receive incentives and from the government entity that distributes their tax dollars. Returning these defaulted funds to Missouri will enable our state to serve people that have been left behind and are still waiting for reliable and affordable broadband.”
The letter follows the recent reveal that the RDOF will not connect 85,000 Missouri service locations, and Missouri will lose approximately $177 million in federal investment.
Attorney General Bailey urges “that action be taken by the FCC to rightfully return previously allocated funding to Missouri so that we can continue to expand needed broadband access in our state.
He continues, “Rural Americans rely on affordable and reliable internet access to run their households, businesses, and farms. We rely on broadband for telemedicine, education, and access to everyday necessities in our increasingly digital world. Ensuring access to state-of-the-art broadband technology is key to helping rural communities grow and thrive into the future and beyond, and access to this service is key as we seek to bring the next generation home to our communities.”
“These funds, originally intended for deployment in rural under-served areas, are critical as we seek to connect every household to reliable internet service. Citizens should not be penalized for these defaults, which reach disproportionately across rural areas.”
He concludes, “Returning these funds to the state for use in the original intended area would be a positive step forward in encouraging cooperation between state and federal agencies of jurisdiction.”