Elizabeth Warren calls for $85 billion public broadband investment
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren Wednesday unveiled a plan to invest $85 billion in publicly owned and operated broadband networks to expand internet access in the U.S., with a particular focus on underserved rural areas.
The senator from Massachusetts, who has rolled out a series of policy proposals on everything from Wall Street to climate change, immigration and the economy, announced the plan just before a road trip to Iowa, which will vote in the Democratic nominating contest on February 3.
The plan envisions an $85 billion federal grant to create "fiber infrastructure necessary to bring high-speed broadband to unserved areas, underserved areas, or areas with minimal competition," according to a Medium post detailing the proposal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
In many areas of rural America, entire communities don't have the broadband access that is taken for granted in most big U.S. cities and metropolitan areas.
DEMOCRATS BLAST GOOGLE AS 'ANTI-WORKER,' DEMAND ITS CONTRACTORS BECOME PERMANENT WORKERS
FACEBOOK FAILS TO STOP FLOOD OF FAKE REVIEWS, INVESTIGATIVE BODY SAYS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The intiative would also restore the Obama administration's rules on net neutrality, which refers to regulations that make certain internet-service providers treat all online traffic equally. Activists have slammed the Trump administration for essentially overturning the regulations.
Warren would also set aside $5 billion specifically for federal grants to expand broadband access on Native American lands.
These grants, like most of Warren's major proposals, would be funded by an "ultra-millionaire tax," a 2 percent levy on wealth greater than $50 million and an additional 1 percent tax on wealth above $1 billion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}