Right now, the Senate is deciding whether to confirm FCC Commissioner nominee Gigi Sohn.

They should not. Gigi Sohn has shown us loud and clear that expanding broadband access in rural communities isn't her priority.

At times, Sohn has seemed outright hostile to rural broadband. She's accused policymakers of being "disproportionately" focused on getting high-speed internet into rural communities and cynically suggested that we pull resources away from rural service providers.

You know what's disproportionate? The facts – which are that 39% of rural communities have no access to high-speed internet, compared to just 4% of city dwellers.

Rural broadband is an essential service for families, businesses, and schools – and expansion is urgently (and yes, disproportionately) needed. We must confirm an FCC Commissioner who knows that too many rural Americans are already fighting to get by; making folks struggle to simply access the internet just adds another unfair burden.

With a rural-minded FCC, broadband infrastructure expansion will be an economic game changer for 30 million Americans currently without it. Reliable connectivity will mean folks can access jobs, health care, educational opportunities, and farming and agriculture technologies.

But if we allow the FCC to continue dismissing the needs of rural and tribal communities, those communities will fall further and further behind economically, educationally, and globally.

Our leaders can transform rural America this year . Let's finally close the digital divide and give workers, small businesses, and school kids the tools they need to thrive.

Gigi Sohn is the wrong choice for rural Americans. We won't stop until we have a strong advocate on the FCC and every rural community around the country has access to reliable, broadband internet.

Stay tuned.

Tessa

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