WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) lauded the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Thursday after it passed a bill to clear away regulatory obstacles to deploying broadband infrastructure. The committee, of which Johnson is a member, reported favorably the Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless, or MOBILE NOW, Act.

Johnson said this afterward:

“I support MOBILE NOW and am pleased to see it clear the Commerce Committee.  For more than a year, I have been working in a bipartisan fashion on provisions that would lower the barriers for broadband infrastructure and cut the bureaucratic red tape that often delays broadband build-out.  Many of those ideas were incorporated into MOBILE NOW, and I thank Chairman Thune for working with me on these provisions.  As a result of this legislation, consumers in Wisconsin and across the country should see faster broadband speeds as a result of expedited broadband buildout. While this represents an important first step, Congress must continue working to get more spectrum into the market to address consumers’ exploding spectrum demands.”