~nitcd 5totcs ~cnatc COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, ANO TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON DC 20510-6125 WEBSITE: ~ p .. 0 TI ... rce s " gov 501 July 23, 2019 The Honorable Ajit Pai, Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Pai, I am writing in support of Mr. Mike McCormick's application for the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) newly created Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. Mr. Mike McCormick is currently the President of the Mississippi Farm Bureau, and he has a vast amount of experience in the agriculture industry that ideally suits him for this positon. Last Congress, I introduced the bipartisan Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, which was signed into law as part of the Agricultural Improvement Act of2018. This law directs the FCC to establish a taskforce to help promote effective policy and regulatory solutions that encourage the adoption of broadband Internet access service on farms and ranches, and to support the use of precision agriculture technologies throughout the United States. This taskforce is required to include representatives from interested stakeholders from the agriculture industry, such as Mr. McCormick. Studies estimate that precision agriculture technologies could reduce agricultural operation costs by up to 25 dollars per acre and increase farm yields by up to 70 percent by 2050. These critical cost savings and productivity benefits cannot be realized without the availability of reliable broadband Internet access service. Mr. McCormick is the right choice to join the task force so that these goals can be achieved. He would provide invaluable expertise and insights gained through years working with Mississippi's extensive agriculture industry, an industry critical to the economic wellbeing of my state. l strongly recommend Mr. McCormick for your consideration to serve on the taskforce, where he will assist your efforts to expand the availability of broadband across the United States. Thank you for your continued commitment to closing the digital divide by accelerating the deployment of broadband to unserved communities. Sincerely, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation