Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
President Joe Biden is gearing up for a reelection bid next year, and has announced a major initiative ahead of that campaign. The United States government is investing $42 billion into delivering high-speed internet to all American households.
President Joe Biden announced the $42 billion high-speed internet initiative earlier today, as we learned through NBC. The goal is to provide every household in the United States of America with access to high-speed internet. The money will be divvied out to each state, with all of them receiving $107 million at minimum. This amount will increase for larger states. For example, Texas is set to receive $3.3 billion to fund the high-speed internet initiative in the southern state.
White House officials provided statements on the announcement. “Let us agree in the 21st century America, high-speed internet is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Whether it’s connecting people to the digital economy, manufacturing fiber optic cable in America or creating good-paying jobs building internet infrastructure in the states, the investments we’re announcing will increase our competitiveness and spur economic growth across the country for years to come,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
The government’s current standards for download and upload speeds are 25 and 3 megabits-per-second, respectively, and more than 7 percent of American households are below this mark. As the world becomes more digital, there have been countless cries for improved internet quality in certain parts of the nation. The White House has compared the high-speed internet initiative to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s electricity initiative nearly a century ago.
The money for Biden’s new high-speed internet initiative has already been allocated, so we’ll be watching with curiosity to see how the plan is executed over the next seven years.