Senate Finance Committee OKs tax credits for rural high speed Internet

Last week, a House of Representatives subcommittee approved important legislation to improve high speed Internet data collection. A few days prior, a Senate committee was hard at work on another piece of legislation that would help close the digital divide.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 17-4 in favor of providing $400 million in tax credit bonds for projects that would include expanding rural high speed Internet access. The proposal, which was promoted by Senators Jay Rockefeller and Olympia Snowe, would stimulate investment in high speed Internet infrastructure.  It provides greater incentives for investment in next-generation infrastructure that reaches 100 mbps download and 20 mbps upload speeds.

The proposal explicitly states its intention to increase the use of distance learning and telemedicine. These services are crucial in making sure rural America is connected to the same opportunities as the rest of the country -- and they depend on high speed Internet connections.

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