WATCH: Davids Highlights Needed Rural Broadband Improvements During Small Business Hearing with Kansas Farmer
Yesterday, during a U.S. House Small Business Committee hearing, Representative Sharice Davids discussed the importance of accessing high-speed internet across all Kansas communities, including in rural areas. University of Kansas researchers recently found that up to 1 million Kansans lack access to high-speed broadband, with rural areas receiving the slowest download speeds. Matt Splitter, owner of Splitter Farms in Sterling, Kansas, testified during the hearing on the broadband challenges impacting his family farm.
“I serve on both the Small Business Committee and the House Agriculture Committee. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of overlap in the two committees, especially recognizing that in Kansas we have a lot of family farms,” Davids said. “We have to absolutely be thinking about this holistically - everything from supporting our rural communities through passing the Farm Bill to addressing how the operation of a modern farm happens and the technologies that are being used. We’ve seen tons of progress over the past few years to ensuring that all Kansans have access to broadband, but certainly there is still a lot more work to do.”
“Technology is a huge part of our operation. As we’ve been sitting here today, my phone has been going crazy because we’re 110 degrees and all my equipment is telling me it’s too hot. So, we’re communicating from the farm in central Kansas to my phone here in DC today,” said Matt Splitter, Owner, Splitter Farms. “We have one person that we can access internet from, and it’s not even high-speed…It is tremendously important that we have access to [broadband], and not just access, reliable access.”
WATCH: Davids and Kansas farmer Matt Splitter speak on the need for improved access to high-speed internet in rural Kansas
In addition to the Small Business Committee, Davids also sits on the House Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees where she has worked to improve access to broadband across Kansas. Previously, Davids led bipartisan legislation to help connect families and businesses in rural Kansas to the critical internet services and information they need. She has also announcedmultiple bipartisan infrastructure law investments to improve access to high-speed internet, build out Kansas’ broadband infrastructure, and make high-speed internet more affordable.
Davids believes entrepreneurship is baked into the DNA of the Kansas Third District and has worked to support local small businesses, including farms and ranches, since coming to Congress. Most recently, she toured a local childcare facility to highlight how federal investments have supported the workforce and daily operations of local childcare small businesses. Davids also led bipartisan legislation with Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO-03) to help veteran small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed. She’s also focused on ensuring proper oversight of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and questioned SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman on the SBA's efforts to support fraud victims in Johnson County.