Announced this week, the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan would allocate $100 billion to improve internet access in the United States. Access Now applauds the proposal.
The plan aims to deliver high-speed broadband to every household in the U.S., which could lead to closing the digital divide once and for all. It is unclear if Congress will quickly work to approve the proposal, but the Biden administration’s commitment to ensuring 100 percent broadband coverage, particularly in underserved areas, is a big step in the right direction.
Among other goals, the plan aims to:
- prioritize broadband deployment in rural and urban areas (with a focus on locally- or municipally-owned networks),
- ensure providers are transparent about the pricing of their services,
- push for lifting barriers to community and municipal broadband, and
- lower broadband rates.
“The American Jobs Plan is an earnest effort to bring everyone in the United States online, particularly Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other historically marginalized communities,” said Willmary Escoto, U.S. Policy Analyst at Access Now. “Biden’s plan would advance the United States into a better digital future, one where every individual has a fair shot at success, and where internet service providers are held accountable for their opaque and often unfair pricing practices.”