Today, House Majority Whip James Clyburn and Senator Amy Klobuchar reintroduced the “Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act,” which, among other things, provides $80 billion for broadband deployment, adds extra funds to the Emergency Broadband Benefit, provides funding for digital inclusion efforts, requires the FCC to collect certain pricing information from broadband providers and preempts state laws that prohibit communities from building their own broadband networks. The following statement is attributable to Gigi Sohn
The “Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act” is an essential piece of legislation that addresses the critical problems of broadband affordability, availability and adoption, recognizing that the digital divide is both an urban and a rural problem. Importantly, 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 COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the need for every household in the US to have robust, high speed broadband Internet access at home. The Emergency Broadband Benefit included in December’s COVID-19 relief bill was a great start. The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act is the next important step in getting the job done.
The American people owe a debt of gratitude to the House Rural Broadband Task Force Staff, House Majority Whip Clyburn’s staff, the House Energy and Commerce Committee staff and Senator Klobuchar’s staff. They took a bill that was excellent when passed last July and made it even better. The result is a bill that will make great progress towards bringing Internet access to the tens of millions in the US who don’t currently have it. Congress should pass this bill without delay.
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Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Institute Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. Gigi was Counselor to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from November 2013-December 2016