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CWA applauds FCC

The Communications Workers of America issued a statement in support of the National Broadband Plan's goals of providing universal high-speed Internet and a renewed focus on digital literacy. Many other public interest organizations also came out in support of the FCC's plan.

The National Broadband Plan, released on March 16th, provides a framework for providing nationwide universal high-speed Internet access. It also focuses on bringing high-speed Internet to currently underserved communities.

The plan represents the first time the federal government has outlined a national initiative for high-speed Internet.

CWA President Larry Cohen issued this statement on the Broadband Plan following its release:

Until now, the United States has been the only industrialized country without a plan for high speed broadband as the engine for job growth, economic development and empowerment of its citizens. The FCC's proposed plan is far-reaching, and it needs to be for the U.S. to reach the global standards.

The FCC's plan also acknowledges that many communities and urban areas are underserved and will need support, not only in terms of buildout, but in helping underserved communities realize the promise of the Internet Age. CWA strongly supports the plan for a "digital literacy corps" that will help Americans build their online skills.

Cohen also commended the FCC for its ambitious goal of pushing for Internet connection speeds of 100 megabits per second for 100 million households by 2020. Probably more important, he added, is the interim target of speeds at 50 megabits per second down and 20 megabits per second up, by 2015.

A statement issued collectively by forty-one organizations, including CWA, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, OneEconomy Corporation, and Zero Divide praised the FCC for their hard work in uncovering the barriers to adoption for low-income individuals:

The Commission's field hearings and the extensive opportunity for comment through public notices and blogs have provided the American people with many opportunities to contribute to the Plan.

You have said that while broadband alone is not the solution to any of the major challenges facing our country, it is part of the solution to almost all of them. We agree. We also agree that in order to maximize the country's benefit from broadband, we must work to increase the level of broadband adoption, particularly among low-income populations, minority communities, older Americans, people with disabilities and other groups which have low rates of broadband adoption.

The organizations stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in building out the high-speed network. While this level of government support is unprecedented, telecom companies must join in to ensure that speed and availability targets are met.

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