Ten Years After Securing Amendment Requiring National Broadband Plan, Senator Markey Introduces Legislation Requiring Plan Update in Light of Coronavirus Pandemic

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) announced the National Broadband Plan for the Future Act, legislation that instructs the Federal Communications Commission to update the National Broadband Plan, as well as study how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way Americans live, learn, and work online. Sen Markey authored language in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that created the original National Broadband Plan, which set out a comprehensive roadmap for providing universal internet connectivity, while also creating jobs, boosting education, increasing access to medical care, and more. Ten years later, the Senator’s new legislation would require the FCC to assess the nation’s progress, provide detailed proposals to further increase internet access, and analyze how Americans’ unprecedented reliance on broadband during the coronavirus pandemic will shape the country moving forward. “The National Broadband Plan laid out a vision for connecting all Americans to the internet, and we have made tremendous progress over the last decade,” said Sen Markey. “But the coronavirus pandemic has shown us that our work is far from done to ensure universal connectivity. Now more than ever, we see how necessary robust and affordable broadband is to the future of education, employment, medical care, and commerce in America. We need to update the National Broadband Plan so we can continue to invest in our nation’s future by bringing the power and promise of broadband to us all.”