WASHINGTON – Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) received the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association’s (NTCA) Congressional Leadership Award for his work on telecommunications issues.  Stupak said that he was pleased to receive the award and would continue to fight for rural residents’ access to telecommunications.
 
“Advanced telecommunications and broadband in rural areas can be the great equalizer, by ensuring rural communities enjoy the same important services as urban areas enjoy,” Stupak said.  “We are making progress in rolling out broadband services in rural communities, but we still have a lot of ground to cover.”
 
Last Congress, Stupak authored a bipartisan amendment aimed at protecting the Universal Service Fund (USF), a fund that pays for telephone service in rural areas. 
 
“The Universal Service Fund has been a great American success story,” Stupak noted.  “From Watertown, South Dakota, to Newberry, Michigan to Carthage, Texas, rural communities enjoy reliable phone service, largely because of the Universal Service Fund.” 
 
Stupak’s amendment was adopted to a broader telecommunications bill that was then passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. 
 
During his remarks, Stupak also argued that spectrum auctions should be conducted in geographically smaller areas, allowing smaller telecommunications co-operatives to bid when the Federal Communications Commission auctions off broadcast spectrum for other uses. 
 
“Smaller, rural telecommunications co-operatives will not be able to compete with AT&T and Verizon in the auctions if the geographic regions are too large,” Stupak said. 
 
Michael Brunner, Chief Executive Officer of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association praised Stupak for his continued leadership on telecommunications issues.

“This award is not given routinely or lightly or very often,” Brunner said.  “It is truly reserved for those who recognize rural communications needs and act accordingly to ensure they are met.” 
 
The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association represents more than 570 locally owned and controlled telecommunications cooperatives and commercial companies throughout rural and small-town America.

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