U.S. Presidential Aspirant Promises High Speed Internet For All Americans

U.S. Democratic presidential aspirant, Bernie Sanders, has said he would provide high-speed internet connectivity for every household in the country.

Sanders is one of the contenders seeking for the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.

According Reuters, he launched a plan on Friday to provide high-speed broadband for all Americans at a cost of $150 billion, pledging to use antitrust powers to take on internet, telecom and cable companies.

He also added that the funding would be channeled towards infrastructure and technical assistance that will enable local governments to build out publicly owned networks.

“Access to the internet is a necessity in today’s economy, and it should be available for all,” he said.

He said the “high-speed internet for all” policy is part of his Green New Deal investment plan to move the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels, to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1930s rural electrification push during the Great Depression.

Reuters reported that Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, is polling second or third in most national opinion polls on the Democratic race, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and alongside fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts.