WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King applauded the announcement that Cranberry Isles will receive a grant of $1,320,373 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), under the Community Connect Broadband Grant Program administered by the Rural Utilities Service. “Broadband connectivity is a requirement for communities and businesses to stay competitive in the 21st century economy, but unfortunately many rural areas are lagging... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and a group of bipartisan leaders on the Senate Broadband Caucus today hosted an event on closing the digital divide and helping create new education opportunities for students, teachers, and administrators. The event, “Connecting Our Students: Closing the Digital Divide and the Future of Education,” featured remarks by caucus co-chairs U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Shelley Moore Capito... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today introduced the Next Generation Grid Resources and Infrastructure Development (GRID) Act. The legislation would encourage energy independence, foster innovation, and leverage federal resources to support a more resilient 21st century electricity grid through the use of distributed energy resources (DER). The legislation builds off the Free Market Energy Act, introduced... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after today’s vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to roll back the agency’s existing protections on net neutrality: “Disastrous isn’t strong enough of an adjective to describe today’s decision. This ruling will make it harder for regular people to use the internet, plain and simple. For decades, the internet has leveled the playing field so a mom-and-pop shop in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senator Angus King today joined 27 of his senate colleagues in a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai, expressing concern over reports that bots filed hundreds of thousands of comments to the FCC during the net neutrality policymaking process and calling on the Chairman to delay the planned December 14th vote to roll back net neutrality rules until an investigation of the state of the record is conducted. “A free and open Internet... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) as part of a bipartisan group of thirty-nine senators in a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure its commitment to affordable and reliable broadband for consumers in hardest to reach communities across rural America. “A lack of resources to meet our [shared national broadband] goals is... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned officials from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation during a Senate Armed Services Committee focused on the nation’s cyber defenses. In his questioning, Senator King emphasized the importance of establishing a national doctrine for deterring adversaries in cyberspace. “I think [the need for a doctrine is] one of the key issues here,” said... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During today’s telehealth expo hosted by the Senate Broadband Caucus and American Telemedicine Association, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a co-founder of the Senate Broadband Caucus, commended the Senate passage of the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act. The bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by Senator King and passed by the Senate on Tuesday night, would help address the needs of Medicare recipients... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today wrote to the Unicode Consortium requesting it include a new lobster emoji in the 2018 release of its standard character set. The new emoji would be available for use on social media platforms and smartphones. Currently, emoji exist for crabs, shrimp, fish, and other marine animals, but not lobsters. A lobster emoji, however, is currently short-listed to be added in, subject to approval by the Consortium’s Technical Committee at... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined a bipartisan group of 36 U.S. Senators in asking the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the sale of nearly $2 million in Equifax securities held by high-level Equifax executives shortly after the company learned of a massive cybersecurity breach. Equifax, a major consumer credit reporting agency, recently disclosed that... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award a total of $354,844 to three Maine fire departments to enhance their overall safety and operations. The Albion Volunteer Fire Department will receive $20,457, the Anson Fire Department will receive $162,381, and Plymouth Fire and Rescue will receive $172,006. “Members of the Albion, Anson, and Plymouth communities rely on the brave men and women... Continue Reading »
UNITY, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today hosted a listening tour with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association to discuss the importance of rural broadband for rural education, health care, and for growing Maine’s rural economy. During the tour, Senator King announced his support for the Broadband Connections for Rural Opportunities Program Act,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King announced today that the Brunswick Executive Airport will receive $2,014,200 support improvements for Hanger 5. The funding will be awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Military Airport Program (MAP). “The redevelopment of Brunswick Naval Air Station has been a catalyst for new economic activity and job... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded the Town of Princeton a total of $4,978,937 to fully fund the reconstruction of the Municipal Airport’s existing runway. “Federal investments like this one help connect our rural communities and grow our economies,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “We welcome this critical funding, which will help support and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $531,999 to the Steven A. Bean Municipal Airport in Rangeley to support work to expand and reconstruct the airport’s apron. “Maine’s regional airports encourage economic growth, connecting our state’s communities to vital resources and industries,” Senators... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, the Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and Angus King today announced that four Maine fire departments will receive a total of $1,488,479 in federal funding through the latest round of grants awarded under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) programs. The Van Buren Fire Department will receive $20,505 to purchase thermal imaging cameras, and the Raymond Fire... Continue Reading »
WASHINTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously passed the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act, bipartisan legislation he cosponsored that would strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program. The Brownfields Program assists states and local communities through grants and technical assistance as they assess, safely clean up, and reuse... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a total of $1,947,230 in funding to three airports in Maine. The funding was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration. “Maine’s airports are vital parts of our transportation system that help bolster the tourism industry and support jobs across our state,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “This... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today sent a letter to the United States Postal Office (USPS) Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan voicing concern over the USPS proposal to scale back operations at the Scarborough Distribution Center. The proposal, which could go into effect as early as this week, would move equipment from Scarborough to Nashua, New Hampshire and could result in less efficient and less timely mail delivery in southern Maine “The APBS sorts... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and Angus King (I-ME), announced today that the Fryeburg and Chelsea Fire Departments have been awarded a total of $249,911 in grant funding through the latest round of grants awarded under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The Fryeburg Fire Department will receive $230,101 for firefighter protective turnout gear, firefighter breathing apparatus, and training. The... Continue Reading »
