The Alliance for Digital Equality earnestly congratulates President Barack Obama on his inauguration as the 44th President of the United States of America. We are now that much more inspired to continue the work of closing the digital divide in underserved communities across the nation.

On Thursday, January 8th, President Obama laid out his vision of taking a step toward ensuring that communities some of which The Alliance for Digital Equality is active in have the opportunity to share in America's strong future, and that no American is left behind. The President proposed that broadband deployment play a significant role in the economic stimulus package now under development.

This week the Communications Workers of America, representing more than 700,000 workers, joined The Alliance for Digital Equality in our quest to increase the availability of broadband Internet access. The CWA brings not only the strength of its membership but also its ongoing commitment to affordable high speed Internet for all Americans through programs such as its Speed Matters campaign.

In announcing its support, CWA President Larry Cohen described the union’s common objectives with The Alliance: “Given that millions of Americans are still without high-speed Internet, our work to decrease the digital divide experienced in rural communities is a natural companion to The Alliance’s focus on eliminating the same disadvantage in the nation’s urban core.”

The use of technology to improve the health, wellness and quality of healthcare for Americans is something the Alliance for Digital Equality is keenly interested in. Broadband is among the rare technologies that can fundamentally transform the way people live. Today the click of the mouse can provide better health care for communities and individuals.

A new study by economist Robert Litan on telemedicine finds we can cut almost $200 billion from America's health care bill by expanding the use of remote monitoring. In Vital Signs Via Broadband: Remote Health Monitoring Transmits Savings, Enhances Lives, Litan notes how remote monitoring can benefit patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and congestive heart failure by alerting medical personnel of problems sooner. The result can not only reduce hospitalizations and save money, but also enhance the quality of life for these patients.

With the passage of legislation in the U.S. Senate earlier this week, we are a step closer to achieving the goal of making broadband Internet access available to more households across America. The Senate joined the House in passing legislation that will require the Federal Communications Commission to compile more data on broadband use, cost and speed in urban, suburban and rural areas. The Census Bureau will kick in with information about Internet use.

The goal of this legislation is to see which communities and areas lack broadband service, based on the assumption that such information will lead to bringing this critical service to those areas. Our hope is that legislative solutions like this will help to educate community leaders about the benefits of broadband deployment, with a focus on public health and telemedicine, public safety, education and distance learning, economic development and civic participation.

While the African American community as a whole continues to make progress in narrowing the digital divide (“Sweeping national study finds blacks in U.S. diverse, optimistic”, published in USA Today, June 26”), we cannot rest without making sure that improvements in this nation’s digital broadband technology platform are affordable to every American.

As broadband prices have come down, the number of people with high-speed Internet access has increased – particularly in minority communities. But as Gus West writes in a Denver Post guest commentary, “For Hispanics, Net neutrality isn’t neutral at all,” this increase could be adversely affected by government interference.