Today, President Biden unveiled The American Jobs Plan, a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that includes $100 billion to “bring affordable, reliable, high speed broadband to every American.” Among other things, the President’s plan to “[r]evitalize America’s digital infrastructure” would build “future proof” broadband infrastructure to 100 percent of the country, lift state barriers to community broadband and rural electric co-ops, require broadband providers to disclose their prices, and ensure that all Americans can afford high performance broadband.
The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn:
President Biden’s historic plan places a big bet on broadband that is desperately needed. Refusing to repeat the mistakes of the past, which have left tens of millions of people in America unconnected, the President’s plan prioritizes “future proof networks,” promotes competition by lifting state barriers on community-owned networks, requires price transparency and pledges to tackle affordability by, among other things, addressing the high price of broadband Internet access.
As important as the plan itself is the message it sends – that broadband, like electricity, is a necessity, and that one cannot participate in our economy, our education and health care systems and our society without it. The plan also acknowledges that the digital divide is both urban and rural and disproportionately harms people of color and those living on tribal lands with devastating consequences.
The United States cannot afford to be a country of digital haves and have-nots. A just society and robust economy depend on every household in America being connected to high-performance broadband. President Biden’s bold plan will move the country towards that critical goal.
Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and Policy and a Benton Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. Gigi was Counselor to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from November 2013-December 2016. She can be reached at 202-253-0876.