CWA-Backed Broadband Bill Signed into Law

The Broadband Data Improvement Act, passed by the Senate in September, has become law.

CWA's Speed Matters Strategic Industry Fund campaign was the prime mover behind this measure, which will improve data collection about the current deployment of high speed Internet networks and move the United States toward a national broadband policy that will bring true high speed Internet access to all Americans.

The legislation is important to map the extent of broadband coverage in the U.S., and where there is limited or no access to Internet networks.

CWA President Larry Cohen testified several times on Capitol Hill on how the U.S. is losing ground in the build out and use of true high speed Internet networks, compared with nearly every other industrial democracy.

The Speed Matters campaign stressed that high speed Internet networks are the economic engine of the 21st century and are critical to job creation, advances in medical treatment, and improved education, among other areas. 

Speed Matters activists raised the issue at the national, state and community levels for more than two years and helped gain national recognition for the campaign's Speed Test, which measured the download and upload speeds promised by Internet service providers.