Seattle Mayor Murray: ‘Seattle must be a national leader in identifying innovative ways to make high speed Internet available and affordable to anyone’

Finding a job, getting a competitive education, participating in our democracy, or even going to work for some, requires high speed Internet access.

I have seen people say online, “I don’t need a road to get to work, I need high speed Internet.” Seattle would never leave the construction of roads up to a private monopoly, nor should we allow the City’s Internet access to be constructed and managed by a private monopoly.

It is incredibly clear to me and residents throughout the City of Seattle, that the City’s current high speed Internet options are not dependable enough, are cost prohibitive for many, and have few (if any) competitive options. As the Internet becomes more and more important to everyday life, I believe Seattle must be a national leader in identifying innovative ways to make high speed Internet available and affordable to anyone who wants it.

Seattle needs a high speed Internet infrastructure that meets the demands of our high tech industry and which allows our citizens to innovate without worrying about whether their connection will suddenly drop because their service provider has decided to throttle a service they depend on. We need an Internet that does not censor communication, but fosters access to the content citizens depend on for information or civic engagement. We need a service provider that can do all of this with strict privacy controls so that free speech is encouraged, not stifled.

In short, we need a high speed Internet option that rivals any in the country. If we make changes that lower the costs for businesses, these changes would need to come paired with significant improvements in services. I will not be satisfied if these changes simply bring marginal improvements for customers and higher profits for corporations.