Today, House Majority Whip Clyburn and the House Rural Broadband Task Force introduced the “Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act,” a bill that would, among other things, address broadband affordability, infrastructure, price transparency and competition. 

The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn:

The “Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act” is the right legislation at the right time as the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the need for every American to have robust, high speed broadband Internet access at home. This comprehensive bill addresses the twin problems of broadband affordability and lack of network infrastructure, recognizing that the digital divide is both an urban and a rural problem. And it would promote competition in the broadband market by preferencing open access networks and repealing anticompetitive state laws that prohibit communities from building their own broadband networks.

The legislation is a culmination of many months of hard work by the House Rural Broadband Task Force staff, and in particular House Majority Whip Clyburn’s staff. Their process was inclusive and their responsiveness to suggestions and concerns was extraordinary. The result is a bill that will make great progress towards bringing Internet access to the over 140 million Americans who don’t currently have it. These Americans have gone far too long with a service that is essential to full participation in our economy, our education system, our culture and our democracy. Congress should pass this bill without delay. 

Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Institute Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. On January 29 of this year, she testified before the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee at a hearing entitled “Empowering and Connecting Communities Through Digital Equity and Internet Adoption.”  Gigi was Counselor to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from November 2013-December 2016.