Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced the appointment of chairs for four working groups that will support the work of the FCC’ new Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture.
“The timing couldn’t be better. This week, I announced my plan for a new 5G Fund, which would set aside at least $1 billion specifically for deployments facilitating precision agriculture needs,” Pai said. “The Task Force will play a critical role in assessing connectivity needs and demand, accelerating deployment on unserved agricultural lands, and promoting adoption of these broadband-based technologies.”
The new chairs are:
- Michael Adelaine, of South Dakota State University, chairing the working group on Mapping and Analyzing Connectivity on Agricultural Lands;
- Daniel Leibfried, of Intelligent Solutions Group, chairing the working group on Examining Current and Future Connectivity Demand for Precision Agriculture;
- Mike McCormick, of the Mississippi Farm Bureau, chairing the working group on Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture and Availability of High-Quality Jobs Connected Farms; and
- Jeff Pettit, of Noash Construction, chairing the working group on Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Land.
The Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture held its first meeting on Dec. 9. It was formed to promote precision agriculture through the deployment of broadband.
