President Joe Biden began the latest phase of his "Investing in America" tour Monday with a speech focused on expanding internet access.
Alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden announced that $42 billion will be spent across the country to build infrastructure for faster and wider-ranging internet.
"Today, internet access is just as important as electricity or water," Biden said. "We're taking another step toward internet for all, by announcing over $40 billion to be distributed in all 50 states to deliver high-speed internet in places where there is either no service or it is too slow."
The White House compares the program to the rural electrification projects undertaken during the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration and predicted similar results for people in rural areas. The new effort has been dubbed the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program.
According to a fact sheet released by the White House on Monday morning, more than 8.5 million households still lack high-speed internet, which in many ways is now a necessity to participate fully in the economy.
Along with Biden and Harris, the event featured Jeff Say, a father of three who's had trouble getting internet in rural Virginia.
"We have to drive our children into my work, to my wife's school, or to our county library to finish projects or homework assignments," Say said. "Every aspect of our daily life has now seemingly been touched by internet access."
Like he did last year, Biden will now travel the country to deliver speeches about infrastructure investments, along with Harris, first lady Jill Biden, and other administration officials.
The goal, according to the White House, is for everyone to have high-speed internet by 2030.
“I promised to be a president for all Americans, whether or not they voted for me or whether or not they voted for [the infrastructure] law,” Biden said. “These investments will help all Americans, we’re not going to leave anyone behind.”
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The president also tapped into his broader messaging on the economy, contrasting his approach with the "trickle-down economics" of past administrations.
"Connecting everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet is a bold goal for a great nation, especially one as vast as ours," Biden said. "We are well on our way, we’re just going to have to keep going. As I mentioned earlier, just remember, it has never been a good idea to bet against America."