CWA 6201

Feb. 17, 2009

Today, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes more than $7 billion in funding to improve broadband access across the country.

This is a big win for all of us who have worked so hard to break down the digital divide and bring the benefits of high speed Internet to all Americans.

It couldn't have happened without you. The thousands of letters you wrote to Congress and the White House sent an unmistakable message: that broadband opens doors of opportunity for all and provides a much-needed spark to our struggling economy.

But this isn't the end of our efforts. The upcoming year will give us many opportunities to get involved -- supporting new legislation, tracking how the stimulus bill's broadband funding is spent, and continuing to spread the word about the importance of high speed Internet.

The best way to stay up to date on all this and more is to sign up for the weekly Speed Matters blog update email. Sign up right now:

http://www.speedmatters.org/blog/blogupdates.html

The $7.2 billion in broadband funding in the stimulus bill will be put to use in two different ways.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will receive $4.7 billion to distribute as grants designed to improve broadband deployment in unserved and under-served areas, increase broadband adoption, improve access to broadband by public safety agencies, and stimulate the economy and create jobs.

The remaining $2.5 billion will go to the Rural Utilities Service, which works to connect rural Americans to broadband, allowing them to reach all the services and opportunities the digital age has to offer.

The bill also requires that $350 million of the funding go toward the Broadband Data Improvement Act for mapping and community initiatives, at least $200 million to expand public computer center capacity in libraries and community colleges, and at least $250 million for programs encouraging broadband adoption.

Finally, as part of the stimulus package, the FCC must submit a report to Congress containing a national broadband plan that details the most effective ways to ensure broadband access for all Americans.

As you can see, there's going to be a lot of action coming up on broadband expansion in the coming year. Make sure you stay on top of the latest developments by signing up for the Speed Matters blog update email:

http://www.speedmatters.org/blog/blogupdates.html

We couldn't have achieved this big victory without your support. Now we hope you'll continue to stand with us for universal high speed Internet access.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Beth Allen
Speed Matters Online Coordinator

Dear CWA Member,

When you visited CWA's SpeedMatters.org website and took our speed test, did you realize that you were helping to change the way Congress thinks about high speed Internet in the United States? Well, you were.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee just unanimously approved the Broadband Census of America Act. Over the summer the Senate Commerce committee approved the Broadband Data Improvement Act. These bills will create a more accurate measure of broadband access across the country so that we can begin to close the digital divide.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), sponsor of the Speed Matters project, played a critical role in bringing the need for better data to Congress' attention. And we were able to do that because of the data we have compiled from people like you.

We need to maintain our momentum and continue to build our data bank. We want to make sure that as these bills are debated by the full Congress we have hundreds of Speed Test results from every Congressional District.

Ask your friends, family members and coworkers to take the CWA Speed Matters speed test:

http://speedmatters.org/action/tell-friends.html

The United States has fallen to 16th in the world in high speed Internet penetration. Unfortunately, we do not know the full extent of our problem because our data is so poor. We don’t know who has access, at what speed, or how much they pay.

The House’s Broadband Census of America Act and Senate’s Broadband Data Improvement Act aim to fix that and moving the bills out of committee is a critical first step. But they will still need approval from the entire House and Senate – as well as the President’s signature – to turn them into law.

With our leaders in Washington listening, we need to step up our efforts for a national high speed Internet policy and gather the facts we need to move our cause forward. Ask your friends, family members and coworkers to take the CWA Speed Matters speed test:

http://speedmatters.org/action/tell-friends.html

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Beth Allen
speedmatters.org Online Mobilization Coordinator