September 16, 2026
Washington, D.C. (September 16, 2026) – Today the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the Farm Bill 2.0, legislation that includes provisions to streamline broadband permitting on Forest Service lands and codify USDA’s ReConnect program to connect more rural Americans to fast, reliable broadband internet.
Below is a comment on the bill’s committee passage from Brandon Heiner, SVP, Government Affairs, USTelecom:
“When it comes to connecting rural America, we should be building broadband, not bureaucratic bottlenecks. By streamlining permitting and cutting duplicative reviews on Forest Service lands, the Farm Bill 2.0 helps providers spend less time navigating bureaucracy and more time building the broadband networks that power jobs, education, healthcare, agriculture, and the next generation of American innovation. We also welcome the bill’s commitment to rural connectivity by codifying the ReConnect program, which has helped bring high-speed broadband internet to communities that have waited too long for the opportunities of the digital economy.
“We urge Congress to pass this important legislation so rural communities can fully participate in – and help drive – America’s digital future.”
# # #