President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Jan. 8 supporting broadband infrastructure in rural America.
President Trump signed the orders after delivering a speech to farmers and agricultural leaders at the 99th annual American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Nashville, Tenn., which took place Jan. 5 to Jan. 10.
The first executive order instructed the U.S. Department of the Interior to dedicate a portion of its assets to rural broadband installation. The second executive order required government agencies to standardize the process for installing antennas on federal buildings in rural areas.
During his speech, President Trump discussed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity, which he established in April 2017 to identify legislative, regulatory and policy avenues to promote quality of life in rural areas.
"The task force heard from farmers that broadband internet access is an issue of vital concern to their communities and businesses," President Trump said. The task force noted 39 percent of rural Americans lack access to reliable internet connectivity as of 2014 in a report released Jan. 8.