We know that nearly everyone has access to the internet - you're using it right now after all. That being said high-speed internet service must be treated as the new electricity — a public utility that everyone deserves as a basic human right. And getting online at home, at school, or at work shouldn’t involve long waits, frustrating phone calls, and complex contracts and fees meant to trap and trick consumers. It should just work. Internet, telecom, and cable monopolies exploit their dominant market power to gouge consumers and lobby government at all levels to keep out competition. And they don’t provide service to anyone who can’t afford it or install it in areas where it won’t make them as much money as their shareholders demand.  This investment will provide every community the internet they need for their homes, educational systems, small businesses, health clinics, and more.

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So Here's What Needs To Get Done:

• Deliver access to high-speed broadband internet to everyone in Oregon by building out the necessary resilient, modern infrastructure.

• Provide $2 billion through the Environmental Jobs Program in infrastructure grants and technical assistance for municipalities and Oregon to build publicly owned and democratically controlled, co-operative, or open access broadband networks.

• Preempt the Oregon law, which was largely written and lobbied for by internet service provider monopolies, that limit or bar municipal and publicly-owned broadband.

• Ensure all public housing provides free broadband services to residents.

• Ensure people with disabilities have full access to the internet.

• Expand the E-Rate and Rural Health Support programs to ensure all schools, libraries, hospitals, and other essential community facilities are connected equitably and affordably.

• Require that all internet service providers offer a Basic Internet Plan that provides quality broadband speeds at an affordable price.

• Eliminate data caps and ban throttling.

• Protect and expand the Lifeline program to connect low-income households to the internet.

• Ensure any new broadband infrastructure is resilient to the effects of climate change.

• Implement “dig once” policies to build dedicated fiber conduits with all road construction and improvement projects.

• Require large, private internet service providers to complete a broadband resiliency review.

• Ensure disasters are not used by corporations to reap taxpayer-subsidized profits, and that all rebuilding funding goes to restoring service and improving resiliency.

• Build a modern smart grid to ensure we have a resilient, secure, and intelligent electric grid system that is capable of managing high amounts of renewable energy, maximizing efficiency, and keeping our internet services up and running during the worst climate emergencies.