Silver State Times

Washington, D.C. – On may 16, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled out its new interactive Broadband Funding Map. Senator Cortez Masto worked with Republican Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to create this tool in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and pushed the Administration to implement it to ensure that federal broadband funding is being distributed efficiently and is targeted to underserved areas that need it most, including rural areas in Nevada.

“Since hearing from Nevadans in underserved areas about their challenges accessing broadband, I’ve made sure that Nevada is getting more resources to connect to the internet, and that federal funds are being spent effectively,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This tool helps build on my work to bring greater transparency to the programs intended to ensure every Nevadan has access to critical resources that internet connectivity provides.”

This tool is part of Cortez Masto’s comprehensive push for government accountability and oversight of federal broadband resources. Just last week the Department of Commerce’s NTIA released a new dashboard and reports required as part of bipartisan legislation that Cortez Masto passed into law to foster the development and growth of broadband funding to rural communities. 

You can access the Broadband Funding Map HERE.

As part of her Innovation State Initiative, Senator Cortez Masto has led in the Senate to improve broadband access and strengthen Nevada’s economy. Most recently, she advocated for accurate federal broadband access data to ensure Nevada gets the funding needed to connect all Nevadans, as well as helped secure more than $11 million for Nevada tribes, $27 million for Lovelock, NV and $7.3 million for Elko County residents. In 2020, she passed her bipartisan ACCESS BROADBAND Act to ensure Nevadans in underserved urban and rural communities have easier access to federal broadband programs through improved access and transparency of federal broadband. 

Original source can be found here.