Obama Proposes Bringing High-Speed Wireless To 98% Of Americans

Pres. Obama

As ALL ACCESS tipped you YESTERDAY (NET NEWS 2/10), President BARACK OBAMA outlined his plans at NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY to bring high-speed wireless Internet to 98% of Americans over the next five years. CNN reports the President called for "roughly doubling the wireless spectrum available for mobile broadband, freeing up 500 megahertz of spectrum. The plan calls for the federal government to spend $5 billion -- managed by the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION -- to support wireless expansion into rural areas."

"When it comes to high-speed Internet, the lights are still off in one-third of our households," OBAMA said. "For millions of Americans, the railway hasn't come yet." OBAMA noted that over 90% of homes in SOUTH KOREA have access to high-speed broadband, while only 65% of American households do.

"High-speed wireless service is the next train station, the next off-ramp," he added. "It's how we'll spark new innovation, new investments, and new jobs."

Republican National Committee Chairman REINCE PRIEBUS disagreed with OBAMA's proposal, saying "We had this same debate two years ago when the President's stimulus plan was supposed to create much-needed jobs. Now we are having the same conversation as unemployment remains much higher than OBAMA promised his last spending binge would allow. Spending hand over fist didn't work then and it won't work now."

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