MONTGOMERY — Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) on Thursday afternoon reaffirmed the standalone importance of SB 215, the “Connect Alabama Act.”
Speaking to reporters following the 14th day of the legislature’s 2021 regular session, Reed commented on Tuesday’s failure of SB 214 on the Senate floor; that bill would have funded high-speed broadband expansion to the tune of more than $1 billion.
Despite that funding mechanism going down, Reed underscored that SB 215 is still integral to moving the state forward.
The Connect Alabama Act would create the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority to plan, manage and oversee the expansion and availability of high-speed broadband services throughout the Yellowhammer State. In part, the Authority would be a vehicle to draw down federal funds, which the State of Alabama does not currently have in place.
SB 215 passed the Senate last week in a unanimous 32-0 vote. The bill is now pending House action.
“I think the attitude of the need for that legislation — whether we were going to have enormous resources from gaming (SB 214) [or not] — there’s still a need for that concentrated focus on broadband in Alabama,” Reed said.
He added that while the legislature will need to continue examining ways to robustly fund the Authority, that vehicle still needs to exist to prepare for future opportunities to invest in broadband.
“So, I think there’s still a lot of interest in the broadband legislation, simply because there is huge interest in broadband period. That is still one of the top issues that the people of Alabama are interested in,” Reed stressed. “I hear that often in my district, which is a very rural district. But I also hear it from a lot of my colleagues who say the same thing — that broadband internet access is still a huge issue in Alabama.”
Alabama currently ranks 47th in the nation for broadband connectivity, and it is projected that between $4 billion and $6 billion is needed to expand access to all Alabamians.
Reed reiterated that the legislature needs to find a long-term revenue stream for broadband expansion.
“But I would not minimize the need for or the significance of the broadband legislation (SB 215), no matter what happens to the gambling bill,” he concluded.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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