Sen Patty Murray (D-WA)

Sens Patty Murray (D-WA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced new bipartisan legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities across the country. The Digital Equity Act of 2021 (S.2018) would create new federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects at the state and local level.

We believe that a comprehensive federal privacy and data security law is essential to hold institutions accountable, restore consumer trust, and protect our privacy. We have developed a set of core principles that should be included in any comprehensive data protection legislation. Under our framework, consumers would control their personal information, and corporations, non-profits, and political entities would be held to higher standards for when and how they collect, use, share, and protect our data.

Led by Sen Patty Murray (D-WA) -- the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee -- a group of Senate Democrats introduced new legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities across the country.

In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, 14 U.S. senators express extreme concern will plans to roll back network neutrality rules.

Net neutrality is particularly important to women, as it affords women-owned businesses and startups an even playing field when competing with more established brands and content. Between 2007 and 2016, while the total number of firms increased by 9 percent, the number of women-owned firms increased by 45 percent - meaning that over this period the number of women-owned firms grew at a rate fully five times the national average.1 This growth mirrors the emergence of the Internet as a platform for economic growth. The online sales platform, Etsy, is another example of how women thrive under a free and open Internet. Under the current net neutrality regime, Etsy has empowered sellers in every state across the country, 87 percent of whom are women. An open Internet is also vital to providing a platform for elevating voices that are underrepresented or marginalized in traditional media, an experience many women in media know well. When turned away by traditional media outlets, many female creators have found a home and an audience for their stories on the open Internet. The vast array of online media platforms enabled by net neutrality give creators permission-less access to viewers, providing autonomy for women of every color and creed to tell rich, compelling stories in their own voices. In addition, an open Internet has allowed women to organize and create positive change in their communities.