Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow says getting high speed internet to rural communities in Michigan is a priority for her.
Stabenow said she plans to tackle this issue as part of the new federal Farm Bill she is working on.
“If we want to truly expand, create jobs all over Michigan, and the quality of life that we want in small towns as well as big cities, you have to have high speed internet,” she said.
The Farm Bill sets agricultural and food policy for the United States for five years or so. Stabenow said this legislation is especially important for people in Michigan. That’s because it also helps finances rural development – including broadband internet expansion.
“I mean this is really jobs, quality of life, economic development for all the small towns and rural communities all over Michigan and it’s one of the, if not the biggest jobs bill we’ll be working on this year,” she said.
In the past, the bill has passed with bipartisan support and Stabenow said, “Even with all the partisanship and division, I’m very hopeful that we can do the same thing this time.”
Stabenow said she and other senators plan to introduce the new Farm Bill in the spring.