Mr. McMillan will be liveblogging on OpenLeft this evening at 7 PM EDT.
Hello, my name is Waldo McMillan and I am Vice President and General Counsel of One Economy Corporation. One Economy is a global nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people, giving them valuable tools for building better lives. We help bring broadband into the homes of low-income people, employ youth to train their community members to use technology effectively, and provide socially responsible media properties that offer a wealth of information on education, jobs, health care and other vital issues. Our mission is to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people improve their lives and enter the economic mainstream. To learn more about our work, please visit us at www.one-economy.com.
Before offering a specific public policy proposal, I would first like to thank Senator Durbin for using the internet in an innovative and groundbreaking way to bring the real work of Congress to the American people. Formulating a national broadband strategy that brings the benefits of high speed internet to all Americans regardless of income or place is the most important issue facing today's technology and telecommunications landscape. At One Economy, we believe that providing everyone with affordable access to broadband is very possible, and we are confident that if the federal government takes some intentional and immediate steps towards this end, broadband can be made available to all by the end of 2009.
One immediate step Congress should take to put us on the path towards ubiquitous broadband access by 2009 is enacting One Economy's "Broadband in Public Housing" initiative. This initiative would ensure that all new and redeveloped public housing units are wired for high speed internet access, and it would specifically require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to:
Mandate the inclusion of infrastructure that permits unit-based access to high-speed Internet connectivity in all new public housing units and public housing redevelopment projects;
Promote and permit the retrofitting in public housing developments with infrastructure that allows for high-speed Internet connectivity under public housing development and modernization programs, including the Capital Fund; and
Promote and permit the provision of high-speed Internet service as an allowable public housing operating expense.
This simple yet effective change in our public housing laws is doable, and it will undoubtedly help low-income people achieve economic self-sufficiency and put them well on their way to truly achieving the American Dream.
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