NTCA Applauds Senate Introduction of ACCESS Rural America Act

NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association released the following statement from CEO Mike Romano applauding the introduction of the Access to Capital Creates Economic Strength and Supports (ACCESS) Rural America Act. The legislation, which was introduced by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa.), amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to allow small, rural communications providers to submit streamlined financial reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after triggering certain reporting thresholds, granting them regulatory relief from more costly SEC reporting requirements.

"Many of the Securities and Exchange Commission registration and reporting requirements were written with large, publicly traded firms in mind and can create significant compliance burdens on smaller, locally owned companies that don't have the same resources," said NTCA CEO Mike Romano. "NTCA and its members appreciate Senators Baldwin and Ernst for their leadership in introducing the ACCESS Rural America Act, which recognizes these challenges and helps small providers focus on their core mission of building and sustaining the advanced broadband networks that their communities depend upon."