It won't be hard to sell Republican Congressman Frank Lucas on the need for speed.įRANK LUCAS: Dealing with the pandemic, all of these Zoom and team (ph) and Webex and all of these committee meetings and conferences and stuff I participated on - it's really difficult with the quality of broadband I have on my farm in rural Oklahoma to make it work. Lots of Republicans want to get this done, too. RASCOE: She might get some support from unexpected places.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: To reach some reasonable consensus around what is necessary to actually, in this case, make sure that every American has affordable, accessible, high-speed internet. Harris says she'll talk to people about what's working now, and she also will be trying to convince lawmakers to get on board. But in areas where customers are more spread out, it's harder for companies to turn a profit, so he wants Congress to put $100 billion toward building out networks and making internet more affordable. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I'm asking the vice president to lead this effort, if she would, because I know it'll get done.īIDEN: More than 30 million Americans live in places with slow internet. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe has more.ĪYESHA RASCOE, BYLINE: President Biden says broadband is just as important as electricity, so that's why he put Vice President Harris in charge of a big new push.

But getting it right may have a big effect on her political future. It's an issue of equity and one that Vice President Harris is now in charge of. This pandemic has made it clear just how much we all need good internet, whether it's for school, medical appointments or staying in touch with family and friends.

House of payne firestorm