Rep. Matsui blogs about Broadband Affordability Act

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA), the sponsor of the Broadband Affordability Act (H.R. 3646), promoted the bill in a blog post on December 2.

Matsui, who represents the Sacramento area, described how Internet access has expanded opportunity for her family:

Growing up in the Central Valley of California, my education relied heavily on textbooks and local libraries. As I got older, I used the newspaper to find my first part-time job and applied to college through a mail-in application. After I got married, my husband and I shared photos of our young son through slides at family gatherings.

Today, I watch my grandchildren use the Internet to collaborate on projects with school children across the Atlantic; and my son can collect witness testimony through teleconference across the country. I recognize that the American way of life has changed dramatically since my youth, due in large part to our ability to communicate instantly via the Internet.

In California, Matsui writes, 96 percent of residences have broadband access, but less than 50 percent adopt broadband at home because, "not every American family can afford up to $60 per month for broadband services at home, putting themselves and their children at a disadvantage."

The bill would create a broadband Lifeline Assistance program within the existing framework of the Universal Service Fund (USF). The National Broadband Plan task force is considering a similar restructuring of the USF.

The Broadband Affordability Act has been endorsed by the CWA.

H.R.3646 - Broadband Affordability Act of 2009 (OpenCongress)

Closing the digital divide through broadband expansion (The Hill)

FCC Task Force: Universal Service Fund should support Broadband (Speed Matters)