Issue Position: Communication and the New Economy

Issue Position

Our federal government during the first decade of this new millennium was one of the most anti-science in American history, discouraging the innovation we need to grow our economy. As Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, I am committed to working with members of Congress and the Obama Administration to change that. More than ever before, our economic competitiveness depends on a robust and accessible communications network and assisting our entrepreneurs in developing the technologies of tomorrow.

There are a host of issues on the agenda that demand our attention. I am working with the Federal Communications Commission on a National Broadband Plan to ensure that we connect every home and business, school and hospital in the country with affordable and accessible high speed internet. The Internet has become the backbone of our economy, and families and companies without high-speed Internet access are at a significant educational and economic disadvantage. I will continue to use every tool at our disposal to promote broadband deployment and competition among providers across Massachusetts and the nation.

I believe that America's investment in science and technology research and development has never been more urgently needed. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act got the ball rolling by providing the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy Office of Science, among others, with an infusion of resources to support deserving research teams across the country. These researchers -- with many beneficiaries located at MIT and other high-tech institutions in Massachusetts -- are building tomorrow's techonologies in green-tech, nano-tech, and a vast variety of other fields. The discoveries we make today will lead to the breakthrough industries of tomorrow, creating the high-paying jobs that will drive our economic prosperity and keep America leading the way in new technologies far into the future.

In Congress, I will continue to promote greater diversity in media ownership, content production, and consumer choice. As the news journalism industry evolves from newspapers to new media, we need to make sure that we never lose the honest and independent check on government that unbiased, in-depth news reporting provides. And I will also continue to work with the FCC toward a national interoperable emergency communications network to give our first responders the tools they need to do their jobs.

I approach all of these issues with American competitiveness, consumer choice, and job creation in mind. For a generation, innovation and technology has fueled the economic engine of our country, and as a result we are benefitting from products, medicines, technologies and communication tools that seemed unimaginable just 20 years ago. We need to foster the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that will connect our world and make our businesses more efficient, our economy more competitive, and our future more prosperous.

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