ICYMI: By Ensuring Broadband Access for All Americans, President Biden's Infrastructure Plan Empowers Rural Workers, Businesses

New reporting in the New York Times describes how President Biden's proposal to expand broadband internet access in his American Jobs Plan will create jobs and strengthen communities in rural America.

According to a Broadband Now study, of the 42 million Americans living in areas without reliable broadband service, most live in rural communities. The pandemic has exacerbated the "digital divide."

Megan Green, an employee at her father's asphalt manufacturing company in rural Iowa, said: "I was shocked to know how many of our employees could not work from home because they did not have reliable internet access. We're talking seven minutes to download an email' type internet access."

Ben Casselman examines how President Biden's commitment to bringing affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband to every community in America ­- through a historic investment of $100 billion – will impact communities' ability to attract new businesses and a younger generation of workers, in turn supporting economic growth.

The reporting highlights the broad, bipartisan support for expanding broadband access in the President's proposal, noting: "In a recent survey conducted for The New York Times by the online research platform SurveyMonkey, 78 percent of adults said they supported broadband investment, including 62 percent of Republicans."

Read the full story here.