A bill that would require the government to monitor who does and
does not have access to the Internet was approved today by
Congress.

This legislation represents the feelings of many policymakers,
like Senate sponsor Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who feel that the
federal government has a responsibility to ensure that Americans
can access the Internet.

Under the terms of the bill, the FCC will be required to conduct
consumer use surveys of broadband use in urban, suburban, and
rural areas, as well as in large and small business markets. The
Census bureau will also be required to include questions about
Internet use on its surveys.

Supporters of the bill hope that it will help to explain why the
United States is behind many other developed countries in terms
of widespread Internet usage.