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Volume 11, Issue 4
In This Issue:
January 29, 2020
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Gardner Measure to Provide Substantial Funding for Rural Broadband Clears Senate Committee
Washington, D.C. – Today the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed a measure authored by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) to provide potentially billions to expand access to broadband in rural areas. “By approving this legislation, the Senate Commerce Committee took a great step toward bridging the divide between urban and rural Colorado,” said Senator Gardner. “My proposal would ensure that at least 10 percent of the proceeds from a sale of C-band spectrum would be allocated for rural buildout in unserved and underserved areas throughout Colorado and the country.” Gardner’s measure was included in S. 2881, the 5G Spectrum Act, which was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee. The measure requires 10 percent of all of the proceeds from the C-Band spectrum auction in the bill to go directly to wireless broadband infrastructure buildout in unserved and underserved areas throughout rural communities across the country. Gardner first proposed the idea of a rural dividend provision in 2017 with his legislation known as the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (AIRWAVES) Act, under which 10 percent of proceeds from spectrum auctions would be devoted to increasing broadband access in rural areas. Gardner’s efforts to expand broadband deployment in rural Colorado include: In August, Gardner introduced the bipartisan TOWER Infrastructure Deployment Act with Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), which requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to improve and streamline workforce development programs to prepare for next-generation communications infrastructure. In July, Gardner introduced the bipartisan AIRWAVES Act with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), which could provide roughly $6.5 billion to expand broadband access in rural areas. Cont. on Page 2, See Gardner Measure
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Weld County Launches New “Marijauna is Not Harmless” Campaign Weld Central Basketball and Wrestling
Armed Parishioners Saved ‘Untold Number of Lives.’ This Law Made it Legal to Have Guns in Church
By Hollie Silverman, CNN (CNN)A shooter at a church in White Settlement, Texas, was taken down by parishioners with guns seconds after he began firing Sunday. Those parishioners, who were also volunteer members of the church’s security team, are able to carry guns into church due to a law passed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in response to another deadly church shooting that took the lives of 26 people in 2017. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reWhite Settlement, Texas, officials ferred to the respond to church shooting 01:39 law during a Sunday night press conference, saying that it was passed following the deadly shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. It took effect in September, Patrick said. Senate Bill 535 took effect in September and clarifies possession of firearms at places of worship. The bill allows licensed handgun owners to legally carry their weapons in churches, synagogues and other houses of worship. One month after Texas church shooting, pastor says his faith is stronger than ever “We have learned many times over that there is no such thing as a gunfree zone. Those with evil intentions will violate the law and carry out their heinous acts no matter what,” state Sen. Donna Campbell, co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement when the bill was passed in September. “It makes no sense to disarm the good guys and leave law-abiding citizens defenseless where violent offenders break the law to do great harm.” Lt. Gov. Patrick also mentioned a second law that was recently passed that waives the fees charged to private institutions that have their own security teams. He lauded the heroic actions of those volunteer security members. “They were well trained, well trained. The heroism today is unparalleled. This team responded quickly and within six seconds the shooting was over,” Patrick said. “Two of the parishioners who are volunteers on the security force drew their weapons and took out the killer immediately saving untold number of lives.” CNN’s Faith Karimi and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.
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