| Supreme
Court Ruling Will Accelerate Advancement of Telecommunication Technology in Rural
Areas Washington,
June 10, 2004 - The National Grange strongly supports the decision by the
solicitor general of the United States not to appeal a decision made by a lower
federal court. The lower court's decision struck down regulations issued by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that impeded the deployment of advanced
telecommunications technologies in rural areas. "Rural
America's ability to contribute to our nation's prosperity is dependent on access
to advanced telecommunications services on par with those available in our urban
and suburban communities, not to mention in many foreign nations," National Grange
President William Steel said. "We urge the FCC to embrace the ruling and move
forward on new rules that remove the regulatory barriers to broadband deployment."
President
Steel commented: "For farmers and other rural Americans, access to universal,
affordable broadband is as important economically today as universal mail delivery
and universal phone service was in the last century. The lower federal courts
have given the FCC clear guidance toward crafting a successful regulatory program
that will facilitate the construction of universal broadband networks. Therefore,
we should now move ahead with revising existing regulations to address the objections
clearly outlined in the lower federal court's well-reasoned opinion that will
facilitate the deployment of broadband for all Americans." The
National Grange is this nation's oldest general farm and rural public interest
organization. Originally founded in 1867, today the National Grange represents
over 200,000 local grange members affiliated with 3,000 local, county and state
Grange chapters across the nation.
To arrange an interview with President Steel concerning issues facing rural America,
please contact Shaletta Espie at
1-888-447-2643, ext. 116. | 
