Fischer Leads Nebraska Delegation to Maximize Retention of State’s Broadband Infrastructure Funds

Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) led the entire Nebraska congressional delegation in a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), urging the administration to allow states to retain Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds that are not already committed to broadband deployment in priority unserved or underserved areas, in compliance with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In the letter, the lawmakers highlight the importance precision agriculture plays in farming and ranching operations and urge NTIA to clarify that precision agriculture connectivity constitutes an eligible use of remaining BEAD non-deployment funds.
Full text of the letter is
here
and below.
Dear Administrator Roth,
On behalf of Nebraska communities that continue to lack reliable, high-speed broadband access, we write to urge NTIA to allow states to retain BEAD Program funds that are not already committed to broadband deployment in priority unserved or underserved areas, in compliance with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The BIL authorizes the BEAD Program to fund broadband expansion across unserved and underserved areas, with a required prioritization of deployment to those areas and, as needed, connection of eligible community anchor institutions. The statutory allocation framework assumes that funds are first applied toward deployment, and only after those priorities are satisfied do remaining resources become available for alternative, “non-deployment” uses.
Given this structure and the express purpose of BEAD as a historic investment to close the digital divide, we request clarification on how NTIA intends to ensure that non-deployment funds are reallocated appropriately to expand connectivity across the nation.
In this context, we urge NTIA to clarify that precision agriculture connectivity constitutes an eligible use of remaining BEAD non-deployment funds. The BIL defines eligible locations and permissible activities in ways that encompass broadband needed for agricultural operations on farmland and ranchland. The statute directs funding toward areas lacking service “capable of supporting real-time, interactive applications” and emphasizes connectivity that enables “economic development” and “modern digital applications” (47 U.S.C. § 1702(a), (c)(4)).
Precision agriculture operations – including field-level sensors, automated equipment guidance, telemetry, livestock monitoring, and real-time remote management – clearly fall within these parameters. They require reliable high-speed connectivity across the last acre, directly leveraging last mile deployment connections.
This approach aligns closely with the objectives reflected in the LAST ACRE Act (S.1617; H.R. 3212), as introduced by Senator Fischer and inspired by Nebraska’s own Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program. The federal legislation has received bipartisan, bicameral support in Congress, seeking to ensure that agricultural producers have robust connectivity not just at the farmstead, but across the acreage where modern, data-driven operations occur.
While this legislation is separate from the BIL, its underlying rationale is wholly consistent with BEAD’s statutory purpose: to ensure that broadband infrastructure fosters economic competitiveness, technological adoption, and resilience, particularly in hard-to-reach rural economies.
For these reasons, we respectfully request that NTIA:
1. Clarify whether states may direct unobligated BEAD funds toward connectivity that enables precision agriculture applications, including deployment extensions beyond residential structures to operational acreage;
2. Affirm that precision-ag connectivity falls within BIL-authorized activities supporting broadband adoption, economic development, and advanced digital applications;
3. Provide guidance for states on documenting and approving such uses, especially in areas where household-level broadband availability maps do not capture agricultural operational needs, and including where the challenge process in the LAST ACRE Act may provide a viable alternative; and
4. Outline the process by which any remaining BEAD funds should be applied or reallocated, consistent with BIL statutory requirements and Congressional intent.
Ensuring that BEAD funds reach the agricultural landscapes will strengthen rural economies, promote technological efficiency, and uphold the BIL’s directive to close the digital divide in ways that support American productivity and competitiveness.
Thank you for your attention and for NTIA’s continued leadership in implementing this historic national investment in broadband.