In a 21st century global economy, our telecommunications infrastructure is crucial. The progress we have seen in Kentucky in recent years, in terms of accessibility to and adoption of broadband internet, has been remarkable. In fact, from 2013 to 2015, more than 800,000 Kentuckians gained access to broadband. Seventy percent of those new connections were in rural Kentucky, a significant ratio that is due to the substantial investment of private risk capital by Kentucky’s telecommunications providers. The Chamber supports efforts to ensure these statistics continue to move in the right direction by removing barriers to widespread wireless and broadband investments in the Commonwealth and opposes policies at the state and federal levels that would impede or hamper investment in digital infrastructure.