Sen Deb Fischer (R-NE)

Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Linking Access to Spur Technology for Agriculture Connectivity in Rural Environments (LAST ACRE) Act. This legislation would create a new Last Acre Program at the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Rural Development aiming to expand network connectivity across farmland and ranchland. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) co-led the introduction of the legislation. Existing Rural Development programs support “last mile” broadband deployment, which connects broadband networks to rural households or businesses.

For pregnant women in rural areas, local resources supporting maternal health may be strained, and the nearest hospital is often far away, putting mothers and their babies at serious risk. That’s why I was proud to join my colleagues, Sens Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) to introduce the bipartisan Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act. This legislation would require the Federal Communications Commission to use data mapping to identify areas in the US that have both internet access gaps as well as high rates of poor maternal outcomes.