Take the Speed Matters Test
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The Communications Workers of America (CWA) Speed Matters campaign will soon release its annual report on Internet speeds across the country to help paint a clear picture of U.S. Internet speeds and identify the areas that need immediate improvement.
You can help by clicking here to take the Speed Matters test to find out just how fast your Internet speed is. Previous reports have found that the United States lags far behind other industrialized nations when it comes to Internet speeds.
Why does Internet speed matter?
AT&T/T-Mobile Merger is in Public Interest
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Not only would a merger between AT&T and T-Mobile mean that T-Mobile’s more than 20,000 workers have the chance to choose a union without interference, but it would open the door for a high-speed broadband build-out to 97 percent of the population, helping close the digital divide.
To ensure AT&T’s pledge to build out, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should, if they approve the merger, include service and speed benchmarks the telecommunications giant must meet or face penalties, Communications Workers of America (CWA) research economist Debbie Goldman told an Economic Policy Institute (EPI) policy forum on the merger this morning.
When we weigh all public benefits of the merger against the harm, we believe this in enormous public interest for America.
She said that when T-Mobile’s parent firm, Deutsche Telekom, made the decision to sell its U.S. subsidiary, “The choice was T-Mobile was going to be sold and who was going to buy it. AT&T is cleary the better choice.” If the merger isn’t approved, it is likely Read the rest of this entry »
CWA’s Cohen: AT&T/T-Mobile Merger a Win for Consumers and Workers
The proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is “a win-win proposition,” Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Larry Cohen told the Senate Judiciary Committee recently.
It will accelerate broadband deployment, benefit consumers and positively impact workers.
He said that “high-speed Internet is essential to economic competitiveness, job creation and our quality of life,” but the United States has fallen behind more than 25 other nations in broadband capacity.
The AT&T/T-Mobile merger will help us re-establish global leadership in high-speed communications. As a result of the transaction, AT&T promises to deploy next-generation wireless service to over 97 percent of our nation’s population within six years.
Report: New Communications Technology = Good, Green Jobs
New communication technologies can be a key part of making our economy more energy-efficient and help create good jobs in the future, according to a new report.
“Networking the Green Economy: How Broadband and Related Technologies Can Build a Green Economic Future,” illustrates how a highly-networked economy with smart buildings, smart grids, teleconferencing and digital education will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and retain good, green jobs. The report was released yesterday at a Capitol Hill press conference by the Progressive States Network, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Sierra Club and the Blue Green Alliance. You can read the report here.
Speaking at the press conference, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming said the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) much anticipated National Broadband Plan could be a key part of an economic recovery.
Unions Battle Verizon-Frontier Deal and $600 Million Tax Break
There is an oddly named tax loophole—the Reverse Morris Trust—that is so big and lucrative Verizon is getting ready to pull $600 million through it if its sale of rural phone landlines in 14 states to Frontier Communications is approved.
Not only does Verizon stand to pocket the $600 million tax break, but a similar deal in New England shows consumers’ phone and Internet services are likely to deteriorate and workers’ jobs may be put in jeopardy.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Electrical Workers (IBEW) are fighting the sale and are backing soon-to-be introduced federal legislation to close the loophole. The law now allows Verizon and other companies to sell assets tax-free to smaller companies such as Frontier, that end up burdened by debt. (For a detailed look at the Reverse Morris Trust, click here.)
U.S. Still Lags Way Behind in Internet Speed
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The United States continues to lag far behind the world’s other industrialized nations when it comes to Internet speed—and the impact goes far beyond the time it takes your movies or music to download or family videos to upload. It slows the economy and job growth, too.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) third annual Speed Matters survey finds that even at the current rate of improvement, it still would take the United States 15 years to catch up with the global Internet speed leader South Korea, where speeds are four times faster than in the United States.
The average download speed of U.S. Internet connections is 5.1 megabits per second, significantly below the averages of countries like South Korea (20.1 mbps), Japan (16 mbps) and Sweden (12.7 mbps).
High-Speed Internet? Take the Speed Matters Test and Find Out
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We’ve all been there—online waiting, and not patiently—for a connection to check the bank account, order medicine or just get the latest Hollywood gossip. You mutter to yourself, “This is high speed and it’s costing me how much a month?”
You might be one of those folks in a low-income urban or rural area where, even if you wanted to pay for high-speed Internet service, the only option available is the dreaded dial-up.
Now you can do something about it. Take the Speed Matters test.
Speed Matters, a campaign by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), is part of the union’s effort to promote national and state policies for affordable, universal high-speed broadband networks and end the digital divide. One of the campaign’s tools is the Speed Matters test that measures the speed of your Internet connection to see if it jives with speed your provider promised. Click here to take the Speed Matters test.
Obama Economic Plan: Create Made-in-America Jobs
President-elect Barack Obama today laid out some of the details of his economic recovery plan. While the current President focuses on giving the Medal of Freedom to the leader of a country that has the highest number of trade union murders in the world and on spending nearly $600,000 on new china for the White House days before leaving office, Obama is moving to clean up the Bush economic mess. Giving the Democratic radio address this morning, Obama said:
Our first job is to put people back to work and get our economy working again. This is an extraordinary challenge.
