Sanford Bishop joins colleagues in introducing BOOST broadband legislation

WASHINGTON — Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr., D-Ga., and Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., introduced the Broadening Online Opportunities Through Simple Technologies (BOOST) Act Tuesday.

Joining them in introducing the bipartisan bill were Congressman Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., and Congressman Bill Huizenga, R-Mich. The legislation would allow households in rural, low connectivity areas to claim a $300 tax credit after purchasing a mobile internet hotspot or a signal booster to increase their internet speeds.

“I am happy to reintroduce the bipartisan BOOST Act with my colleagues, which will help make broadband internet access more affordable and accessible to rural communities,” Bishop said in a news release. “Dependable access to high-speed internet is vital for a whole range of day-to-day activities including individuals teleworking, children doing homework, and families accessing telemedicine.

“Through legislation like this, we want to help close the gap in rural services and ensure everyone is able to take full advantage of digital resources and fully participate in the 21st Century economy.”

“The BOOST Act will ensure Michigan families can connect to the internet with their own hotspot or boost the internet speed they currently have,” Moolenaar said. “This bipartisan legislation will empower residents in rural areas who have been waiting far too long to have reliable internet in their homes. This is long overdue and will help families sooner rather than later.”

The BOOST Act allows homeowners or renters in rural areas to claim a $300 tax credit after purchasing either a mobile hotspot or signal booster where internet speeds do not meet the federal requirement of 25 megabits per second for downloading and three megabits per second for uploading.

Bishop worked with Moolenaar, Panetta and Huizenga to introduce this bill in the previous Congress.

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