My husband Bruce and I raised our family on a cattle ranch near Valentine, Nebraska – a rural community that understands how spotty Wi-Fi makes it difficult to connect with family and friends. In today’s day and age, reliable internet access is no longer optional. But for too many Nebraskans living in rural communities, it’s still out of reach.
That reality has shaped my work in the U.S. Senate, where I chair the Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee on the Commerce Committee. Time and again, I’ve heard from families, small businesses, and schools across Nebraska who face the same barriers mine does: patchy service, slow speeds, and the feeling of being left behind in a digital economy.
That’s why I introduced the Modernization, Accountability, and Planning (MAP) for Broadband Funding Act this past summer. At its core, this bill is about accountability. We already know billions of federal dollars are being spent on broadband expansion. The real question is: are those dollars making a difference for the families who need them most?
The MAP for Broadband Funding Act strengthens oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Broadband Funding Map — the tool meant to show where the federal government spends money on expanding broadband service. My bill directs the FCC to review how usable and accurate that map really is for the public and providers, and it tasks the Government Accountability Office with ensuring federal agencies are reporting information correctly. If the map is flawed, then the billions of dollars tied to it risk missing the mark.
This is not my first step in closing the digital divide. Back in 2021, I worked with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) to push for the creation of this very map the FCC now maintains through an amendment to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Its launch in 2023 was progress, but progress without oversight can quickly stall. That’s why I introduced this bill and am pushing for its advancement through committee and onto the Senate floor.
Another cornerstone of my work to close the digital divide – and keep it closed – relates to the Universal Service Fund (USF). For decades, the USF has helped extend and support communications access to rural America. Today, the fund is poised for updates, nearly 30 years after Congress created the universal service mission to connect all Americans through voice and broadband, no matter where they live. The USF must be predictable, sustainable, and modernized to reflect how people actually communicate in 2025.
That’s why I am proud to co-lead a bipartisan, bicameral congressional working group charged with reshaping the USF. Our goal is straightforward: make sure this unique mechanism supports universal service long into the future, in a manner that targets resources and eliminates waste. It’s not enough to talk about closing the digital divide — we must prove that we’re truly closing it.
For me, this isn’t just policy. It’s personal. I know what it means to live in a community where reliable internet is a luxury, not a given. Too often, D.C. bureaucrats decide that rural America is too expensive and too hard to connect with broadband infrastructure that meets the needs of today – and of tomorrow. And I know the opportunities Nebraskans are missing as a result, from education and telehealth to entrepreneurship and precision agriculture.
Every Nebraskan, regardless of their zip code, deserves access to dependable broadband. I will keep pressing until that vision becomes reality. Because in today’s world, connection isn’t a convenience — it’s a necessity.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.