Daschle Calls for Universal Broadband

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) says high-speed broadband Internet access is an indispensable tool, and he wants to ensure that schools, libraries, hospitals, and businesses are part of a fully wired community.

"Access to this service is fast becoming the line between the haves and have-nots in the information age," Daschle told a group at a Washington, DC, think-tank, the Center for National Policy. "We should create tax credits, grants, and loans to make broadband service as universal tomorrow as telephone access is today."

Although Daschle has yet to put his words into action, his comments are significant because he is one of the first legislators to call for universal broadband for everyone, says Matt Bennett, policy director of the Alliance for Public Technology (APT), a nonprofit organization that promotes technology.

"This is critical for libraries, particularly in underserved, rural, and even some urban communities, where broadband deployment is not widespread in every home," Bennett says. "Libraries provide those areas with the first point of access to the Internet, which is crucial for distance-learning and access to resources around the world."

But Daschle's plea isn't entirely altruistic—it was part of several high-tech initiatives he outlined to revive debate on economic stimulus legislation. "We must keep America on the cutting edge of technology," and the first step in getting the U.S. economy back on track is by passing an economic stimulus plan, Daschle said.

Tax credits similar to those proposed by Daschle are already included in the economic stimulus package recently passed by the Senate Finance Committee, but it has yet to reach a vote on the full floor. The bill's language, introduced by Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), would provide 10 percent tax credits to companies that invest in bringing broadband to rural and underserved areas, and a 20 percent tax credit to companies that deliver faster, "next-generation" services.