REP. VEASEY APPLAUDS INTRODUCTION OF ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE INTERNET FOR ALL ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (SC-06) introduced H.R. 1783, the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, which authorizes over $94 billion to ensure unserved and underserved communities have affordable high-speed internet access.

The comprehensive package includes provisions from Rep. Veasey's Enhanced Emergency Broadband Act that was introduced earlier this week. The legislation will builds and expands on his 2020 Emergency Broadband Benefit bill to bolster more access to broadband for low-income and people of color. The Enhanced Emergency Broadband Act authorizes additional funds to the Emergency Broadband Benefit program—a free or low-cost internet service to low-income individuals that have disproportionally been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic; provides states with funding to better implement the program; and ensures coordination between agencies to expedite the process.

"This pandemic has exposed many blind spots in our current infrastructure system, one of which is access to broadband," said Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33). "We are living in the 21st Century digital age and in order to succeed you need to be connected. I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act that comprehensively looks at our broadband infrastructure and creates real opportunities for everyone across this nation, from rural to urban and everywhere in-between, to have access to fast, reliable internet. I'm particularly happy to see my legislation that authorizes more funds for the EBB program and ensures more coordination between agencies included in this major package."

"Access to broadband today will have the same dramatic impact on rural communities as the rural electrification efforts in the last century," said Whip Clyburn. "When I formed the Rural Broadband Task Force, our mission was to address the digital divide. The disparate effects of that divide have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic and exposed the urgency of ensuring universal access to high-speed internet. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act."

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, introduced the bill in the Senate.

"When we invest in broadband infrastructure, we invest in opportunity for all Americans," said Senator Klobuchar. "In 2021, we should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in America — regardless of their zip code. This legislation will help bridge the digital divide once and for all."

This legislation is the product of extensive collaboration between members of the House Rural Broadband Task Force, Chairman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Senator Klobuchar.

See what supporters had to say about this legislation here.

Click here for one-pager on the bill.

Click here for section-by-section.

See bill text here.