WASHINGTON, D.C. (NAFB) – Midwest lawmakers complain the lack of broadband access in rural America is simply “unacceptable,” as Congress considers several bills to bring huge swaths of the country into the 21st Century.

Ag Democrat Cheri Bustos says more than 1 in 4 households in her rural Northwest-Central Illinois district lack access to the internet—a problem she argues, a now advancing bill will help.

Missouri Republican Vicky Hartzler was also on board in this week’s unanimous House Ag vote for the Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act.

Updating and extending USDA’s Broadband Reconnect Program and other efforts in the $50 billion, eight-year bill will also boost small business, long-distance learning and telemedicine.

Separately, the Senate Ag Committee heard from Biden pick for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Jennifer Moffitt, who was pressed on her approach to livestock competition and other top Ag issues.

The current California Undersecretary for Food and Agriculture, Moffitt stressed the need for an early warning system for animal disease and a balanced industry approach to improve livestock competition.