Whereas individuals living in rural areas in the United States need access to media content that is relevant to their daily lives; Whereas rural and agricultural programming includes agricultural weather, agribusiness news, commodity market news, and western sports, and this programming is important to the farmers and ranchers of the United States for their way of life and making a living; Whereas rural and agricultural programming covers matters that affect all individuals in the United States; Whereas all individuals in the United States need to be exposed to, and informed about, what is occurring outside of the major cities and suburbs of the United States; Whereas all individuals in the United States feel the effects of inflation and supply chain shortages, and rural and agricultural programming is in a unique position to inform viewers of the roots of these issues; Whereas the population of the world is projected to grow from 7,000,000,000 to approximately 9,000,000,000 by 2050, and agricultural productivity will need to increase to meet the growing demand for food and the projected increase in consumption; Whereas a decrease in investment in agricultural research and development would result in a negative shock to agricultural productivity; Whereas an informed public is key to supporting the proper level of investment in agricultural research and development; Whereas significant consolidation in the media market and prioritization of consolidated media has had a negative impact on access to rural and agricultural programming; and Whereas multichannel video programming distributors and providers of digital and streaming media should make delivery of rural and agricultural programming, including agricultural news and western lifestyle content, a priority: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate recognizes the importance of rural and agricultural programming and the need for greater access to rural and agricultural media programming.