He told a group of about 200 residents and workers at the Cedar Falls Utilities company that he wants to make sure communities across America have the options that residents here have. The utility is owned by the city and is one of the first in the nation to offer speeds of up to one gigabit to every residence and business in the city. The President noted that Internet speeds here are, “100 times faster than the national average.” And more in line with cities like Tokyo or Hong Kong.
Obama pitching initiatives ahead of State of the Union
The President went on to say that 19 states have laws that would prevent cities like Cedar Falls from investing in and building their own Internet infrastructure — and instead protect entrenched monopolies that have no incentives to build out their networks.
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And, in Michigan he touted the rebounding American car industry, which has added thousands of new manufacturing jobs in that state.
This week the President highlighted government efforts to crack down on cyber crimes, fight identity theft, hacking and protecting personal privacy online.
At an event at the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, he said he plans to introduce new legislation allowing U.S. law enforcement agencies to go after cyber-criminals overseas, and offered a proposal to protect students’ privacy while using computers in schools.
