Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, applauded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for announcing that Georgia providers will receive $149 million in funding to expand broadband access through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).
“Hardworking Georgia families need reliable internet access for their jobs, education, health care and so much more. Broadband is a utility just like electricity or water,” Senator Reverend Warnock said. “I thank federal regulators for heeding my calls to accelerate the process of getting these much-needed funds disbursed, and strengthening our efforts to expand broadband access across Georgia’s rural communities.”
On October 7, 2021, Senator Warnock pressed FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in a Senate Commerce hearing on the urgent need to provide broadband funding to Georgians. During the hearing, Senator Warnock specifically discussed the need for the FCC to quickly distribute awards from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to bridge the digital divide in Georgia.
Nine percent of all homes and businesses in Georgia—over 480,000—lack access to quality broadband. Nearly 75 percent of those unserved locations are in rural Georgia. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund helps bring broadband and voice services to millions of unserved homes and small businesses across rural America. Beyond the $149 million announced, Georgia is expected to receive an additional $173 million from the fund, enabling broadband access for nearly 180,000 unserved homes and businesses across Georgia.
