Cohen Presses for Action to Bridge America's Digital Divide

Attending the Minority Broadband Summit: CWA Local 2336 President Michael Harris, CWA Local 2201 Equity Committee Chair Kirk Jones, Local 2336 EVP Valerie Matthews Monroe, CWA Pres. Larry Cohen and Julius Hollis, chair of the Alliance for Digital Equality.

With Internet speeds and access in most of the developed world leaving the United States in the dust, America's low-income and minority households are particularly at risk of being left behind in the digital world, CWA President Larry Cohen told the Minority Digital Summit in a keynote speech Wednesday.

The event was sponsored by the Alliance for Digital Equality, a coalition of corporate, consumer, public policy and other organizations including CWA that is pushing for broadband expansion in rural and inner city areas. The summit brought together policy makers, media and others to address the critical issues facing underserved communities.

High speed broadband access is the key to quality and affordable education, ending disparities in healthcare and improving access to specialists, whether in urban or rural areas, and promoting economic development in low income communities, Cohen said.

"High-speed broadband and digital literacy are necessary for economic growth and national competitiveness and to ensure that all Americans -- no matter where they live -- can take advantage of the promise of the Internet," he said.