Congress Revives Effort to Expand Satellite Connectivity for Farmers

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2025 – A bill revived Wednesday would require the Federal Communications Commission to assess its existing satellite rules to enhance farmers ability to utilize precision agriculture technologies.

The Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act, sponsored by Reps. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Robin Kelly, D-Illinois, would direct the FCC, working with the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture, to review regulations governing fixed satellite service, mobile satellite service, and earth exploration satellite service. 

The FCC would be required to submit a report to Congress within 15 months outlining its findings and any recommended rule modifications to improve agricultural connectivity.

This bill builds on Latta’s Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, which was signed into law in 2018 as part of the Farm Bill, and established the FCC’s Precision Agriculture Task Force. It follows a version of the bill that passed the House by a vote of 409-11 in April 2023.

The legislation is set to be considered in a House Energy and Commerce Committee markup on Tuesday, along with 6 other telecom-related bills. Among the proposals is a measure directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to assess the feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable linking the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.

While the bill aims to improve connectivity, some farmers took to Latta’s social media to voice concerns that it misses the mark. Critics argued that the legislation focuses on satellite-based solutions, which could primarily benefit companies like Elon Musk’s Starlink, rather than addressing more immediate challenges such as market access and financial stability.

“Precision satellite connectivity act? To hook up farm equipment to Starlink and make more money for Musk?” wrote one commenter, questioning whether the bill’s intent was truly to benefit farmers or boost private industry.

Others pointed to more than $2 billion in recent cuts to agricultural programs, stemming from the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). For years, USAID has spent approximately $2 billion annually on commodities like rice, wheat, lentils, and peas for global food aid programs.

“This is hilarious! You are touting this while ignoring the over 2 billion dollars taken from us farmers!!” another critic wrote. 

Still, Latta and Kelly defended the bill, arguing satellite connectivity was essential for modern farming. 

“Farmers in Ohio's Fifth District know that in order to continue producing high-yield crops, they need access to 21st Century technology,” Latta said in a statement. “The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved my bill last Congress, and I'm hopeful that it will receive the same swift, bipartisan support this Congress.”

Kelly echoed the bill’s importance, emphasizing the growing role of family-owned farms in her district.

“Illinois’s Second District grew from 2,000 to over 4,500 farms strong, and a vast majority of them are family-owned,” Kelly said. “They are the backbone of our food supply… Farmers should have access to agriculture innovation and ingenuity.”