Rep. Jamaal Bowman introduces new bill to lower broadband costs

Rep Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) “Broadband Justice Act,” co-sponsored by Housing Subcommittee Chairman Rep Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), would require the Housing and Urban Development Department, along with the Treasury and US Dept of Agriculture, to update its utility allowance definitions to include broadband so it can be subsidized for families living in government-assisted housing. Other utilities like gas and electricity are already subsidized in this way. The bill would also create a new grant program to help wire buildings and build out other broadband-related infrastructure. “The more access to broadband people have, the more access and opportunity they have to the world beyond where they currently exist,” Rep Bowman said. “The internet is a library. It’s an encyclopedia. It’s information.”