President Obama will start pushing government agencies to help his administration expand access to affordable high-speed Internet in underserved communities.
On Wednesday during a speech from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Obama will say that no matter where Americans live, they should have easier access to broadband Internet, according to the New York Times.
The Obama administration will lean on the Department of Agriculture and the Commerce Department to help with the new initiative.
The administration will also officially oppose laws that inhibit competition for high-speed Internet access — which exist in 19 states — by first filing a letter with the Federal Communications Commission “urging it to join this effort by addressing barriers inhibiting local communities from responding to the broadband needs of their citizens,” according to CNET.
The initiative will also include incentives to build the necessary infrastructure to bring Internet access to the areas, specifically rural ones.
A meeting in June is also scheduled to discuss the initiative with mayors and other local officials.
“Clearly, Americans want and need better, faster broadband because so much of our day-to-day lives and so many of the jobs we want to create depend on access,” said Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council. “High-speed broadband is central to maintaining our global advantage.”
