FCC designates $1 billion for precision agriculture

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that the agency will be focusing on supporting precision agriculture.  The FCC has established a Precision Agriculture Connectivity Task Force which is divided up between working groups to focus on four areas of importance.  The four working groups consist of Mapping and Analyzing Connectivity on Agricultural Lands, Examining Current and Future Connectivity Demand for Precision Agriculture, Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture and Availability of High-Quality Jobs on Connected Farms, and Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Lands.

With $9 billion in federal funding support for the 5G fund, $1 billion will be specifically used for precision agriculture.  FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the agency “must play a constructive role in promoting these efforts and supporting investment in high-speed Internet in ways that specifically help precision agriculture.” CEO of Trilogy Networks and taskforce leader, George Woodward noted that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the significance of precision ag technologies in keeping the food supply chain moving with efficiency.

“The ability to take today’s technology and best practices and rapidly deploy them to secure and improve the current food supply is of paramount importance,” Woodward said in a press release.  “Ensuring the farm-to-table ecosystem is supported with cutting-edge technology has never been more important.”

Author: Brian German