‘Speed Matters’: Cohen Urges Senate To Pass Broadband Bill

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Cintron was in Iraq when his wife went into labor this summer at a Brooklyn hospital. But he got to see every minute of the birth, and even saw his son before his wife did — via a high-speed webcast. 

That was one of the stories CWA President Larry Cohen shared with lawmakers in September when he testified about the promises that high-speed broadband holds for the nation in terms of education, innovation, jobs, medicine, and personal connections worldwide.

CWA Pres. Larry Cohen urges the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to pass the Bradband Data Improvement Act.

Cohen told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that the United States is falling far behind many other industrial countries in broadband penetration and speed, and urged passage of the Broadband Data Improvement Act (S.1492). He called the measure a critical step in moving toward a national broadband policy.

The legislation, inspired by CWA's "Speed Matters" campaign would enable the U.S. to gather more information about where high-speed broadband is available, whether rural areas and inner cities are poorly served, as well as making grants available to states to spur the build out of broadband networks and services.