Friend,

During the pandemic, people without high-speed internet access have been left behind—particularly low-income communities and communities of color.

High-speed internet access is known as broadband, and it’s needed for tele-health, remote education, remote job opportunities, now-virtual court proceedings, and online services such as vaccine sign-ups and government aid applications. For example, many families are relying on parking lots with free wifi just so their children can attend school.

The Broadband Justice Act, introduced by my colleague Rep. Jamaal Bowman, would expand affordable broadband access to 8 million households by subsidizing broadband for families living in government-assisted housing, just as utilities like gas and electric are subsidized today.

Please sign our petition if you agree that broadband—high-speed internet access—should be a subsidized public utility.

Sometimes people lack broadband access due to geography, such as in rural areas that lack necessary infrastructure, but most people without broadband actually live in cities—they just cannot afford to pay for the service or for devices to access it, like computers.

This is true in my hometown of Detroit. Our city’s median household income is under $30,000 and nearly 40% of homes have no Internet connection.

This means that many people are unable to participate fully in our increasingly digital world. And this digital exclusion disproportionately affects Black people and other people of color.

The Broadband Justice Act would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to classify broadband as a utility that could be subsidized through the federal government, and would create a new grant program to build infrastructure for broadband connectivity.  

Please add your name to support the Broadband Justice Act and bring widespread broadband access to our communities.

Thank you,

Rashida