Miss. Senator & Secretary to Highlight Broadband Progress, Blue Economy

GULFPORT – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today announced that he will be hosting U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo who is visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast this Friday, June 25.

“I salute Secretary Raimondo for accepting my invitation to visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Wicker said. “I am glad she will be able to see firsthand many of the great things our state is doing to promote research and job creation in the Blue Economy and to connect more Mississippians to broadband internet.”

Wicker invited Raimondo to tour the Mississippi Gulf Coast prior to her confirmation as Secretary of Commerce.

While in Mississippi, Raimondo and Wicker will visit sites that highlight the recent progress being made along the Gulf Coast, including in broadband internet deployment, unmanned maritime systems research, and COVID-19 vaccinations, all of which are important focus areas for the Commerce Department and its bureaus such as NOAA and NTIA.

Wicker and Raimondo will also host an industry roundtable and extended media availability at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Aquarium in Gulfport at the end of their trip. The roundtable will feature business development leaders, representatives of the Gulf Coast research, fishing, and agricultural community, local elected officials, and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.