Iowa Governor Terry Branstand
The bill, known as the “Connecting Iowa Farms, Schools and Communities Act,” is in place to help foster growth for modern agriculture, increase access for rural communities and school districts and connect small business to the global marketplace.
The act defines broadband internet service as one that provides downloads of at least 25 megabits per second, and uploads of at least three megabits per second. Up to 60 percent of Iowa has access to high-speed internet service.
Lieutenant Gov. Kim Reynolds, said about the process leading up the signing, “As Governor Branstad and I travel across Iowa, we’ve heard from small businesses on Main Street that want to expand, but lack of high-speed internet is preventing growth. We’ve heard from agriculture producers that their farm equipment is not being fully utilized due to a lack of connectivity. We’ve seen Iowa school districts that have students unable to connect to the wealth of resources online. The Connect Every Acre law signed by Governor Branstad today will allow Iowa to continue our economic growth and connect all corners of the state to high-speed internet.”
The agriculture industry utilizes the internet to connect small businesses and farms to the world’s marketplace. Iowa farmers, in particular, are using more advanced precision agriculture technologies on their equipment to communicate with dealers and maintain their crops.