CWA Launches State Broadband Oversight Initiatives

This month CWA recently launched initiatives in state legislatures across the country aimed at greater public oversight of broadband providers, and kicked things off with a huge online event featuring CWA leaders and lawmakers from around the country.

NYS Senator Sean Ryan speaking at the Launch Event

The goal is to ensure public safety and network resilience while protecting consumers and closing the digital divide. CWA's efforts complement the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan, which includes $100 billion for expanding broadband coverage and creating good jobs in the industry.

"President Biden has made a powerful case for recognizing that broadband is a critical part of America's 21st-century infrastructure and for considering its effect on the lives of working people," said CWA President Chris Shelton at an event marking the new initiative. "Working people need robust telecommunications services that support good jobs and full access to health care resources, public services, and educational opportunities. Instead, we have been left with deteriorating telephone networks and a failure to deliver next generation services to rural and low income areas."

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how critical broadband is to the nation's health and education systems, and how underserved many rural and urban communities are.

Click here to learn more about the initiative and CWA's model legislation, known as the Broadband Resiliency, Public Safety and Quality Act.