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BLOOMFIELD, IOWA -- Congressman Dave Loebsack of the Second District of Iowa held a meeting Saturday at Citizens Mutual Telephone Company to discuss the impact of broadband on economic development.

A few of those present at the meeting were employees of CMTEL, as well as representatives from the local hospital and school district whom rely on CMTEL’s services.

“The bottom line is it’s about economic development. It’s about making sure that these small towns and these rural areas in Iowa can survive economically and thrive economically. They can’t do that without broadband,” said Congressman Loebsack.

Those at the meeting brought up their concerns that to use phone services from a company in a bigger city would take away customer satisfaction. It would possibly take away that personal face-to-face communication between a company and its customers.

“So it’s really important that these small companies are supported, that we have loan funds available for them so that they can invest. We’ve heard that they are going to have some difficulty in the next couple of years because of the uncertainty. We got to make sure they have the economic environment and we have the programs available for them to draw upon,” said Congressman Loebsack.

He added that he values the importance of the more personal attention smaller businesses, such as CMTEL, give to their customers. He will do all that he can in Washington D.C. to gain the support needed to in helping these small but vital businesses in small communities.