The Agricultural Broadband Coalition (ABC), last week urged the Federal Communications Commission to make rural broadband expansion a priority.

ABC brings together farm groups, like the American Soybean Association (ASA), and other ag stakeholders. In a letter to the FCC, the group underscored how expanded coverage would “address important economic, educational, healthcare and other societal goals with respect to the nation’s rural communities.”

“Farmers are compelled by long-term demand trends to achieve and sustain unprecedented high levels of productivity, by increasing yields and managing inputs with finite amounts of land and water,” the comments state. “These trends are leading the transformation of U.S. production agriculture into a technology-driven sector increasingly dependent on access to broadband.”

They group called for affordable broadband access in rural communities that’s comparable to services provided in urban and suburban areas.

Source: ASA