Nancy Pelosi: Broadband Census of America Act Puts Us on the Path to Bridging the Digital Divide

November 13, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Broadband Census of America Act, sponsored by Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts, which passed by voice vote in the House this afternoon:

“Today’s passage of the Broadband Census of America Act implements a crucial piece of the New Direction Congress’ Innovation Agenda. It is another step forward that will make our economy stronger, more competitive, and keep America number one.

Article continues below...

“Nationwide deployment of high speed, always-on broadband Internet and mobile communications will fuel the development of millions of new jobs in the United States. Just as railroads and highways did in the past, broadband will dramatically increase the productivity and efficiency of our economy in the future and bring more Americans into an online global community and marketplace.

“Despite a pledge by President Bush to have universal broadband by 2007, recent data ranks the United States 15th in broadband deployment among industrialized nations. The Broadband Census of America Act is a crucial first step to get to the root of this problem, as it develops a national broadband access map. By knowing where broadband is currently deployed, we can then target federal broadband resources to reach our rural and underserved communities. This bill also provides grants to local technology planning groups to help support local initiatives to bolster broadband deployment, adoption, and technology literacy.

“We must ensure that the United States has the telecommunications infrastructure to bridge the digital divide so that every American will have access to affordable and robust broadband Internet service. This bill puts us on that path.”

Source: Speaker Nancy Pelosi