The Hill News

Right now, there’s a strong chance that you’re reading this on your smartphone or laptop while connected to the Internet through a wireless network. But not everyone is that fortunate. In fact, it may surprise you that a third of households in this country don’t have access to high-speed Internet. That’s why Consumers Union was pleased to hear President Obama’s commitment that 98 percent of Americans will have access to wireless broadband in the next five years.

For Americans who have access to broadband now, it is hard to imagine how to navigate the 21st century without it. Jobs, education, communication and innovation now all rely on high speed Internet access. And as the President said, this is about more than faster Internet and digital trends. It’s about opportunity, and giving every American access to these opportunities through high speed wireless networks.

But before wireless, access to the Internet was a major issue. If you lived outside a! major city or town, broadband providers weren’t  willing to build the infrastructure if it wasn’t going to be profitable for them. So people who lived in rural and other under served communities were often out of luck and left unconnected. And now in the midst of the wireless age, broadband infrastructure is required for organizations and businesses to even consider investing in a community.

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