President Joe Biden visited Raleigh on Thursday and announced $82 million in new investments that will connect 16,000 additional North Carolina homes and businesses with high-speed internet.
Funds for the investments come from the American Rescue Plan Act, an act aimed at combating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic Biden signed into law in 2021.
Biden told the audience at Abbotts Creek Community Center that his goal is to provide everyone access to high-speed internet.
“High-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore — it’s an absolute necessity,” Biden said.
Biden said the Biden-Harris Administration’s Affordable Connectivity Program has helped 885,000 households in North Carolina save a total of $440 million in internet bills.
“It’s not enough to just have internet access,” Biden said. “It needs to be affordable.”
Two American companies, CommScope and Corning, are investing more than $550 million combined to manufacture fiber-optic cable in Hickory, North Carolina, Biden said.
“Already, 40% of all the fiber-optic cable in America is being manufactured in Hickory, and now that number is going to continue to grow,” Biden said. “Jobs are going to grow, and when jobs grow, everything grows.”
Biden used his remarks to emphasize his efforts to improve the economy and invest in infrastructure.
“Last week, we learned that America filed 16 million new applications for new businesses since I became president,” Biden said. “Folks, that’s a record. Every single one of those new small businesses is an act of hope. It generates progress.”
Biden also juxtaposed his economic policy with that of former President Donald Trump.
“Our approach is a fundamental break from trickle-down economics,” Biden said. “My predecessor, everything was trickle-down. … That trickle-down shrank public investment in infrastructure and education.”
Biden praised Gov. Roy Cooper, who addressed the audience before Biden.
“By the way, you’ve got the best governor in the country,” Biden said. “You know what I love about him most — I mean this from the bottom of my heart — he has absolute, total integrity.”
Biden said he wants to establish universal, high-speed internet throughout North Carolina by 2030.
“When you see shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky and people hard at work on these projects, I hope you feel pride in America,” Biden said.
