The House Energy and Commerce Committee just unanimously approved the Broadband Census of America Act. Over the summer the Senate Commerce committee approved the Broadband Data Improvement Act. These bills will create a more accurate measure of broadband access across the country so that we can begin to close the digital divide.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), sponsor of the Speed Matters project, played a critical role in bringing the need for better data to Congress' attention.  And we are able to do that because of the data we have compiled from people like you.

We need to maintain our momentum and continue to build our data bank.  We want to make sure that as these bills are debated by the full Congress we have hundreds of Speed Test results from every Congressional District.

Ask your friends, family members and coworkers to take the CWA Speed Matters speed test:

http://speedmatters.org/action/tell-friends.html

The United States has fallen to 16th in the world in high speed Internet penetration. Unfortunately, we do not know the full extent of our problem because our data is so poor. We don’t know who has access, at what speed, or how much they pay.

The House’s Broadband Census of America Act and Senate’s Broadband Data Improvement Act aim to fix that and moving the bills out of committee is a critical first step.  But they will still need approval from the entire House and Senate – as well as the President’s signature – to turn them into law.

With our leaders in Washington listening, we need to step up our efforts for a national high speed Internet policy and gather the facts we need to move our cause forward.  Ask your friends, family members and coworkers to take the CWA Speed Matters speed test:
 
http://speedmatters.org/action/tell-friends.html

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Beth Allen
speedmatters.org Online Mobilization Coordinator

Why We Must Act Now on Universal Internet Access and the Digital Divide

The telecommunications industry is at a critical juncture, and our nation is facing a digital divide. The emergence of a new telecommunications system — one based on high speed Internet access, designed for voice, data, and video communications — opens up tremendous opportunities for improving the quality of our economic, civic, and personal lives. It also gives us a chance to close the digital divide.

High Speed Internet Access Policy

We are falling behind because the United States is the only industrialized country without a national policy to promote high speed Internet access. Instead, we have relied on a hodge-podge of fragmented government programs and uneven private sector responses to changing markets, leaving us with a gaping digital divide.

The Digital Divide

The digital divide leaves a large slice of our citizens without high speed Internet access, and some without Internet access at all. Those who “go without” are left out of the potential advantages of high speed Internet access in areas as diverse as education and health, to civic participation and staying up on the news. Universal Internet access would ensure that everyone has the chance to reap the benefits of high speed Internet access, and that no one is forced to remain on the wrong side of the digital divide.

Universal Internet Access

As high speed Internet access is seen more and more as a vital utility, such as water or electric services, those without these services available to them are left stranded in the digital divide. A policy to make universal Internet access a priority would improve the ability for us to close the digital divide by leaps and bounds.

It is now time for the United States to adopt a comprehensive universal Internet access policy to ensure that we all benefit from the telecommunications and information revolution. Throughout our history we have been able to benefit from major technological advances because we adopted national policies to ensure the widespread and equitable deployment of those technologies. In the 19th century we adopted policies to develop canals and a national railroad system. In the 20th century we instituted policies to develop national telephone and highway systems.

In the 21st century, we need to have a national, universal high speed Internet access policy.

Five Key Principles

* Speed and Universality Matter for Internet Access
* The U.S. “High Speed” Definition is Too Slow
* A National High Speed Internet for All Policy is Critical
* The U.S. Must Preserve an Open Internet
* Consumer and Worker Protections Must Be Safeguarded