President Biden is promoting broadband investment as one of the ways his administration is strengthening American democracy.
The White House issued a fact sheet Wednesday outlining all the things his team has done to advance those values "against the backdrop of a rise in authoritarianism and increasing threats to democracy around the world."
Among those things, the White House said, was Congress' passage last month of the President's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which it called a transformational and critical investment in American Democracy.
Leading the examples of just how the bill would achieve that end was its investment in universal broadband under the heading: "Delivering Broadband Access and Digital Literacy Skills."
The White House said the $65 billion broadband investment will "help ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet, close the digital divide, and fund digital literacy initiatives to provide individuals with the skills needed to critically evaluate information online."
As to their impact on democracy, it said the money would "democratize access to information, services, and opportunity while promoting information awareness and education."
Back in October, the White House had neglected to even include broadband in a fact sheet about the various impacts of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on diversity and inclusion but it has since put more emphasis on that part of the investment package. ■
