TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS:
As Congress prepares to consider infrastructure legislation, the business community urges you to prioritize enhancing America’s digital infrastructure and achieving the goal of connecting all Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how critical it is for Americans, especially healthcare providers, students, and government, to embrace digital tools. The internet has helped to keep the “digital lights” on for small business struggling during the pandemic.
The pandemic has highlighted gaps in America’s digital infrastructure. Although private-sector networks led the world in connectivity during the height of the pandemic, the last year demonstrated a lack of access to high-speed connectivity. Government information technology systems that Americans relied on crashed because they were outdated and insufficient.
As Congress considers an infrastructure package, we urge you to take the following steps to modernize digital infrastructure:
- Embrace Public-Private Partnerships to Deploy Broadband: America’s private sector has built one of the largest and most advanced communications infrastructures in the world. Congress should direct funding to build broadband networks to areas of the United States that lack access to broadband as defined by the FCC as 25Mbps/3 Mbps. America’s connectivity strategy should embrace the private sector and avoid government-operated networks.
- Address Connectivity Affordability the Right Way: COVID-19 impacted millions of Americans’ ability to pay for essential services. Congress has already taken temporary steps to help Americans pay for broadband through programs like the Emergency Broadband Benefit. To address long-term affordability, Congress should undertake steps to modernize existing programs like Lifeline as opposed to pricing and technology mandates.
- Modernize Federal, State, and Local Government IT: Government information technology is infrastructure. Unfortunately, too many government IT systems are woefully outdated and delay economic growth. For example, many states continue to rely on 1950s era technology to address 21st century challenges like COVID-19 and post-pandemic recovery. State government benefits systems crashed trying to deliver needed assistance during the pandemic. Similarly, agencies continue to use paper tracking for pandemic and vaccine tracking. Government must first and foremost modernize its own systems in collaboration with private-sector solutions.
Investing in digital infrastructure will enable the United States to better compete internationally, promote post-pandemic economic growth, and better prepare for emerging challenges.
Sincerely,
Alabama
Coastal Alabama Business Chamber
Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce
Arizona
Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce
Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce
Chandler Chamber of Commerce
Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce
Greater Phoenix Chamber
Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce
Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce
Prescott Chamber of Commerce
Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce
Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau
Springerville-Eagar Regional Chamber of Commerce
Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce
Tucson Metro Chamber
West Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce
Arkansas
Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce
California
Armenian American Chamber of Commerce
Bay Area Council
Beaumont Community Chamber of Commerce
CalChamber
Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce
Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce
El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce
Fremont Chamber of Commerce (CA)
Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Gateway Chambers Alliance
Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce
Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce
Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce
La Mesa Chamber of Commerce
La Verne Chamber of Commerce
Lake County Chamber of Commerce
Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
National City Chamber of Commerce
North Orange County Chamber
Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
Orange County Business Council
Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce
Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association
Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce
Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce
Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce
San Mateo Chamber of Commerce
San Pedro Chamber of Commerce
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce
Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce
Vallejo Chamber of Commerce
Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA)
Vista Chamber of Commerce
Walnut Creek Chamber o Commerce & Visitor Bureau
Colorado
Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Basalt Chamber of Commerce
Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce
Logan County Chamber of Commerce
Steamboat Springs Chamber
Superior Chamber of Commerce
Florida
Lakeland Chamber of Commerce
South Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Georgia
Fayette Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Hawaii
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Kapolei Chamber of Commerce
Iowa
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Des Moines Partnership
Mason City Area Chamber of Commerce
Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce
Idaho
Boise Metro Chamber
Illinois
Chamber630
GLMV Chamber of Commerce
Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce
Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce
Indiana
Aspire Johnson County
Indiana Chamber of Commerce
Owen County Chamber of Commerce
Westville Area Chamber of Commerce
Kansas
Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce
Overland Park Chamber of Commerce
Kentucky
Commerce Lexington Inc.
Grayson County Chamber of Commerce
Greater Louisville Inc. - The Metro Chamber of Commerce
Russell County Chamber of Commerce
Louisiana
Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce
Committee of 100 for Economic Development, Inc.
Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber Southwest Louisiana
Massachusetts
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Maryland
Howard County Chamber
Maryland Chamber of Commerce
Olney Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Michigan
Adrian Area and Tecumseh Area Chamber of Commerce
Michigan Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota
Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce
Minneapolis Regional Chamber
Redwood Area Chamber & Tourism
Missouri
Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB
Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce
Montana
Billings Chamber of Commerce
Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
North Carolina
McDowell Chamber of Commerce
Moore County Chamber of Commerce
North Dakota
Greater North Dakota Chamber
Nebraska
Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce
Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership
New Jersey
NJ State Chamber of Commerce
New Mexico
New Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Nevada
Carson City Chamber of Commerce
Laughlin Nevada Chamber of Commerce
Mesquite NV Chamber of Commerce
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
Vegas Chamber
New York
Capital Region Chamber
Corning Area Chamber of Commerce
North Country Chamber of Commerce
Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce
Ohio
Carroll County Chamber of Commerce
Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance
Trotwood Chamber of Commerce
Oklahoma
Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce
Poteau Chamber of Commerce
Shawnee Forward
The State Chamber of Oklahoma
Oregon
Bandon Chamber of Commerce
Bend Chamber of Commerce
Boardman Chamber of Commerce
Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce
Hillsboro Chamber
Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce
Portland Business Alliance
Oregon Business & Industry
Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
The Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Medford & Jackson County
Pennsylvania
Beaver County Chamber of Commerce
Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce
Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry
Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce
Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership
Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce
Greater Reading Chamber Alliance
Lancaster Chamber
Main Line Chamber of Commerce
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
South West Communities Chamber
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina
Berkeley Chamber of Commerce
Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce
Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce
Texas
Alamo Chamber of Commerce
Austin Chamber of Commerce
Fulshear Area Chamber of Commerce
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce
Greater Houston Partnership
Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce
Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
Odessa Chamber of Commerce
Richardson Chamber of Commerce
Rio Grande Valley Partnership
Texas Association of Business
Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce
Utah
Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce
Davis Chamber of Commerce
Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
St. George Area Chamber of Commerce
Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce
Virginia
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Vermont
Vermont Chamber of Commerce
Washington
Association of Washington Business
Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce
Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce
Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce
Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce
Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Shelton-Mason County Chamber
Silverdale Chamber of Commerce
Wyoming
Evanston Chamber of Commerce
Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce
