February, 17 2009, 03:10pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x22 or (703) 517-6273
Obama Gives Broadband Stimulus the Green Light
United States One Step Closer to Internet for Everyone
WASHINGTON
Today, President Barack Obama signed into law the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act, unleashing $7.2 billion to expand
broadband access and adoption. The law attaches open Internet
conditions to broadband funds and directs the Federal Communications
Commission to produce a national broadband plan.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will
distribute the majority of the funds, $4.35 billion, through a
temporary grant program. NTIA broadband projects must be completed
within two years of the award, provide the greatest broadband speed
possible, and adhere to Internet nondiscrimination and openness
principles established by the FCC. The law also funds programs that
promote increased broadband adoption in low-income communities.
Leaders in Washington say that the broadband stimulus package is
only one part of a larger Internet agenda. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.),
the new chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and
Technology, noted in a recent op-ed that "much more remains to be done.
We need to look at every available tool for providing broadband access
to all Americans." And yesterday, Blair Levin, a telecom adviser to
President Obama, said that "despite new federal money, the amount is
but a fraction of what is needed."
Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, made the following statement:
"The broadband stimulus package is a critical first step toward
transforming our digital dirt roads into 21st-century superhighways.
These funds will help boost broadband availability in the rural and
underserved areas that need it the most -- providing millions of people
with good jobs, better education and full participation in our
democracy.
"We're pleased that this law requires taxpayer-funded networks to
adhere to Net Neutrality principles. But these conditions only apply to
the broadband lines built with stimulus money. We need Net Neutrality
laws to ensure that all networks are open and free from discrimination.
"The broadband problem didn't happen overnight and neither will the
solution. We look forward to working with Congress and the Obama
administration to quickly and aggressively move forward with a national
broadband strategy that will connect this country and restore our
global competitiveness."
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities.
(202) 265-1490LATEST NEWS
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that he is "deeply concerned" by Israel's "recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," including a ground invasion and airstrikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the war-torn Mideastern nation.
Guterres "is particularly concerned over the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Syria" and has stressed the "urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Israel claims its invasion and bombardment of Syria—which come as the United States and Turkey have also violated Syrian sovereignty with air and ground attacks—are meant to create a security buffer along the countries' shared border in the wake of last week's fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and amid the IDF's ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed or wounded more than 162,000 Palestinians and is the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case.
While Israel argues that its invasion of Syria does not violate a 1974 armistice agreement between the two countries because the Assad dynasty no longer rules the neighboring nation, Dujarric said Guterres maintains that Israel must uphold its obligations under the deal, "including by ending all unauthorized presence in the area of separation and refraining from any action that would undermine the cease-fire and stability in Golan."
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"The Syrian army abandoned its positions in the area... which potentially creates a vacuum that could have been filled by terrorist organizations," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing earlier this week. "Israel has said that these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions... We support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement."
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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Multiple journalists were also killed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Sudan, Myanmar, Colombia, and Ukraine, according to the report, and hundreds more were detained and are now behind bars in countries including Israel, China, and Russia.
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