Sen. Moran Applauds Unanimous Passage of Bill to Boost Broadband Supply Chain

WASHINGTON
– U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) applauded the Senate passage of his legislation, the
Network Equipment Transparency (NET) Act
, to increase broadband supply chain transparency through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make certain federal broadband programs stay on track. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and now heads to the House of Representatives to be passed. Sen. Moran introduced this legislation with Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
“Rural communities in Kansas and across the country rely heavily on access to high-speed internet,”
said Sen. Moran.
“In this digital age, the success of family farms, businesses and even health care in rural America can depend on reliable internet. Adding transparency to the supply chains that support broadband infrastructure projects will help speed up the rollout of programs designed to increase internet activity for rural communities. I’m pleased by the passage of the
NET Act
in the Senate, and I urge the House of Representatives to approve this important legislation.”
“Supply chain disruptions hold back our efforts to connect every household to affordable, high-speed internet,”
said Sen. Hickenlooper.
“Senate passage brings us a step closer to ensuring broadband projects from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are completed on time.”
“In order to effectively connect our communities, it’s critical that our federal agencies work to address any potential problems that would slow or hinder this process of deployment,”
said Sen. Capito.
“I’m thrilled that the
NET Act
passed, bringing us closer to being able to monitor the supply chain so these crucial projects can be executed in a timely manner.”
“Resilient, efficient supply chains are essential to keeping prices low and ensuring Americans can get the products they need, and that includes broadband internet,”
said Sen. Peters.
“This bipartisan bill would fortify the investments we made in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand high-speed, affordable internet by identifying issues in the broadband supply chain early, before they impact American businesses, workers, and consumers. I’ll continue to fight for high-speed internet access for all Michiganders.”
Previous supply chain disruptions have delayed broadband infrastructure projects, underscoring the need for transparency regarding the health of the telecommunications supply chain to avoid future equipment shortages as federal broadband programs prioritize high-speed, reliable and accessible networks.
Specifically, the bill would require the FCC’s Communications Marketplace Report to describe to Congress the impact of supply chain disruptions on the timely completion or deployment of broadband infrastructure projects.
The full text of the legislation can be found
here
.
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