The Senate Commerce Committee today approved S. 2343, the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018. The bipartisan bill is an important milestone in delivering broadband service crucial to the operation of modern farming equipment.
The bill would create a task force to focus on the connectivity and technology needs of modern farmers who are too often without broadband in the fields and on the ranches where they work.
The task force would also be responsible for developing specific steps the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies can take to address gaps in coverage.
Farmers and ranchers rely on data to grow more food, fuel and fiber than ever before while lessening their environmental impact, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall noted in a Jan. 25 letter of support to the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
“Today’s farmers and ranchers are using precision agricultural techniques to make decisions that impact the amount of fertilizer they need to purchase and apply to the field, the amount of water needed to sustain the crop and the amount and type of herbicides or pesticides they may need to apply,” Duvall wrote.
While FCC data shows that 39 percent of rural Americans lack access to minimum broadband speed service (25 Mbps/3 Mbps), compared to only 4 percent of urban Americans, there is no information about connectivity on cropland and rangeland.
“Bringing together the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the FCC and public and private stakeholders to address the needs of precision agriculture ensures current and future generations of farmers and ranchers will have the technology needed to maintain our food security and manage resources efficiently,” Duvall said in the letter.
AFBF is part of the Ag Broadband Coalition, which strongly supports the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018.