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| Investments in Rural Broadband |
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This week, I was proud to join United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Governor Brian Kemp to announce important federal investments in rural broadband in the First District.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has committed substantial investments in two high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 1,221 rural households, 32 pre-subscribed businesses and 20 farms in Georgia.
This funding is part of the USDA's larger program called ReConnect, which was created to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America after Congress provided $600 million to the USDA in 2018 for this purpose.
This investment is great news. I will continue working to ensure that all Georgians are connected, no matter where they live.
I discussed this exciting announcement and more on this edition of Buddy's Briefing.
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We have moved! Our office in Brunswick is now located at 777 Gloucester Street, Suite 410. We look forward to working with you in our new space.
Thank you to those who stopped by earlier this week for the open house in the new location!
Rep. Carter and residents of the First District at Rep. Carter's open house in Brunswick |
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| FROM OUR NATION'S CAPITOL CCLIV |
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Monday, February 17, 2020: Where better to spend a President’s Day holiday than at the Skidaway Island Republican Club’s (SIRC) annual President’s Day Dinner in Savannah? This year’s guest speaker is none other than my congressional colleague, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), who represents the 9th District in Northeast Georgia. Doug and I have been good friends since we served together in the mid 2000’s in the Georgia House of Representatives. Doug has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013 and in 2018 was elected to serve as Ranking Member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Doug has been very busy over the past year as he has been one of President Donald J. Trump’s staunchest allies during the recently completed impeachment hearings. An ordained Baptist minister, Doug is a dynamic speaker and tonight gives a great perspective of the impeachment process.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020: I’m up bright and early this morning and in Jesup in Wayne County where I am in the studios of WIFO radio as a guest on the world famous Butch and Bob show. It’s always a pleasure being with my good friends Butch Hubbard and Bob Morgan and this morning I enjoy sharing with them the good news of full funding for fiscal year 2021 of $93.6 million for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) as well as the $34.6 million grant for the improvements to Berth 1 at the Ports.
Rep. Carter on the Butch and Bob Show |
After talking about other items of interest throughout the First District with Butch and Bob I head to the new Diversity Health Center in Jesup where, although they are already up and running, they will have their grand opening ceremony tomorrow. This makes the fourth location for Stephanie Jones-Heath and her staff as they have two facilities in Hinesville and one in Ludowici. At Diversity Health Center, they provide primary health care, including preventative and mental health care services, to patients regardless of age, income, insurance coverage or place of residence. Afterwards, I head to Face to Face Recovery in downtown Jesup where Patty Collins and her staff are doing a wonderful job of advocating, educating and training those who are suffering with substance use disorder. Tailored to rural areas, Face to Face Recovery caters toward the personal and unique needs of individuals. Thus far, they have served over 12,000 peers, provided transportation for over 2,500 and advocated for 127 individuals. They have also connected 133 peers to full time jobs and distributed over 156,000 pounds of food. Face to Face Recovery is truly doing amazing work.
Rep. Carter visiting the Diversity Health Center in Jesup |
After a productive meeting with my good friend Wayne County Commissioner Ralph Hickox and his wife Jamie, I have a conference call with the board of directors of Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT) to bring them up to date on pharmacy issues in Washington. PUTT is a non-profit advocacy organization founded by independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners devoted to exposing the truth about the anti-competitive tactics of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). One of my primary initiatives in Congress is to lower prescription drug prices for consumers and expose this $300 billion PBM industry that drives up drug costs while bringing no value to the health care system. Next, I head to Pembroke in Bryan County where I meet with Mayor Judy Cook, Bryan County Commissioner Noah Covington and other leaders to discuss city and county issues such as affordable housing, aging infrastructure and accessible and affordable health care. My last stop of a very busy day is in Springfield in Effingham County as I attend the Effingham Republican meeting where we hear from candidates for Effingham County Clerk of Superior Court.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020: After driving down late last night, I wake up on Jekyll Island in Glynn County where my Washington and District staffs are gathered for our annual strategic planning session where we review the previous year and plan for this year. Early this morning we all head to our new Brunswick office where we are hosting an open house for the public to see our new location. Over 170 people come to visit us between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to meet with staff and see our new setup located at 777 Gloucester St.
Rep. Carter hosts an open house in Brunswick |
Afterwards, we head back to beautiful Jekyll Island and begin our meetings. In 1733, Jekyll Island was named in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, a financier from England and friend of General James Oglethorpe who discovered the Island. While today the island is a state park enjoyed by everyone, in the late 1800’s it was an exclusive hunting club used by families with names like Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer and Baker. One of the many significant dates in the island’s history is 1910 when Senator Nelson Aldrich led a party of financial leaders to Jekyll Island to create the forerunner of the Federal Reserve, today’s modern banking system.
Thursday, February 20, 2020: We’re back at it again this morning as we continue our strategic planning session throughout the day. While visiting this beautiful island, our team has the opportunity to visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a nature center and rescue and rehabilitation facility for sea turtles.
Rep. Carter at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center |
With interactive exhibits and a hospital and rehabilitation center for sick and injured turtles, this is the only such facility in the State of Georgia and is staffed with dedicated professionals and volunteers. Jekyll Island is run by the Jekyll Island Authority and Executive Director Jones Hooks, who do an outstanding job as stewards of this coastal jewel.
Friday, February 21, 2020: This morning we have the unique opportunity to visit the Golden Ray shipwreck in the St. Simons Sound. With the help of Doug Haymans, Director of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Coastal Resources Division (CRD), we are able to travel out to the site and see where they are beginning construction of the environmental protection barrier (EPB) around the grounded vessel.
Rep. Carter visiting the Golden Ray shipwreck site |
Approximately 80 piles will be driven into the sea floor over the next month and will support a large floating containment barrier to help contain surface pollutants and a large netting to contain subsurface debris while the ship is cut into eight sections and removed. The removal operation is being overseen by the Unified Command comprised of the Coast Guard as the federal on scene coordinator, Georgia DNR as the state on scene coordinator and Gallagher Marine Systems as the incident commander for the responsible party.
Rep. Carter announces a critical federal commitment to rural broadband in the First District |
Afterwards, I have the opportunity to visit the CRD staff with Director Haymans to learn more about the fine work they are doing for Georgia’s coastal region. Next, I head to Claxton in Evans County, where I join U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, U.S. Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, U.S. Rep. Rick Allen and other dignitaries in the announcement celebration of a $5 million investment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for rural broadband. |
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