A recently released White House broadband access report echoes Farm Bureau's call for use of more robust, detailed data when creating broadband maps. 

Lack of access to broadband is a major problem in rural America, with 30 percent of rural Americans without it, while only 2 percent of urban Americans are disconnected. This is a significant issue for farmers and ranchers, who must have access to fixed and mobile broadband to be more efficient, economical and environmentally responsible, AFBF has told the Agriculture Department and other government entities. 

In publishing the “American Broadband Initiative Milestones Report” earlier this month, the White House was fulfilling a 2018 farm bill obligation that required the administration to create a 20-agency working group tasked with publishing a comprehensive report on actions federal agencies can take to support broadband deployment and adoption.