WASHINGTON, DC – Adding to the Energy and Commerce Committee’s bipartisan #RecordOfSuccess, the House of Representatives today passed H.R. 4596, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act, authored by subcommittee Chairman Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), by a bipartisan vote of 411-0. The bipartisan bill would support small Internet Service Providers (ISPs) by protecting them from the onerous reporting requirements included in the FCC’s Open Internet Order. The bill would extend the small business ISP exemption for providers with fewer than 250,000 subscribers for five years, allowing small businesses to focus on building networks, deploying broadband, improving connectivity for rural consumers, and creating jobs. 

For a fact sheet on the bill, click HERE.

Watch Rep. Walden’s remarks here.

“The Small Business Broadband Deployment Act helps this great sector of our economy continue to expand, provide access to the world, and provide access to grow commerce and jobs in a rural setting,” stated Walden. “This is really important to a lot of start up and growing businesses across our country. We need to give consumers more competition and better service, and this bipartisan solution does just that.” 

Watch Rep. Latta’s remarks here.

“This commonsense proposal will help small rural broadband providers across my district focus on investing in networks, deploying broadband, improving connectivity, and creating jobs,” said Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Vice Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH).

Watch Majority Leader McCarthy’s remarks here.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) added, “The Internet is arguably the most dynamic contributor to a growing economy and higher quality life around the world. We need to take every opportunity we can to create the space for innovation to thrive in this country. That is how we can make a more prosperous America that works for everyone.”

Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) concluded, “This legislation will protect small businesses and ultimately benefit consumers. Keeping these entrepreneurs focused on laying fiber, building towers, and improving service means a better Internet experience for their customers, and more jobs. This is what they set out to accomplish when they started their businesses—serving their communities, not spending hours or days complying with a maze of regulations and piles of paperwork.”