Doris O. Matsui

01/15/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/15/2025 12:04

MATSUI REELECTED RANKING MEMBER OF THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) issued the following statement after her Democratic colleagues reelected her as Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for the 119th Congress.

"I'm honored to be reelected as Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee by my Democratic colleagues," said Congresswoman Matsui."We're at a pivotal moment to secure American innovation leadership. From the development and deployment of next generation networks to harnessing the promise and managing the risk of AI - this subcommittee is uniquely positioned to spearhead the policy that will shape the future. As Ranking Member, I am particularly focused on continuing my work to increase innovation and equity in technology. That means closing the digital divide and the homework gap by ensuring every American has access to fast, affordable broadband no matter where they live. It means ensuring the progress of better connectivity, more sophisticated devices, and modern networks lead to lasting prosperity for our children and grandchildren. I am ready to get back to work to meet the needs of the modern economy and solve its most pressing challenges."

Congresswoman Matsui has long spearheaded efforts to secure our technological future. She co-authored the CHIPS Act, legislation that secured $52.7 billion of funding to restore semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil.

As co-chair of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus, she has also been a leader to ensure a healthy spectrum pipeline to strengthen U.S. economic and national security for years to come. She has led on improving spectrum managementand public-private coordination to make the best use of this critical resource for wireless connectivity and federal agency missions. She was also co-author of the bipartisan Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which was passed in 2020 and has been a strong supporter of a fully funded Rip and Replace program.

Congresswoman Matsui has also been a national leader on policies to close the digital divide and ensure strong net neutrality protections. She has been a vocal supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Programthat provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states. She was also a key proponent of the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided financial support to low-income Americans for broadband service and certain devices. She also co-authors the Digital Equity Foundation Act, legislationthat would establish a nonprofit foundation to leverage public and private investments to make critical progress on digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy. As co-author of the Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act, Congresswoman Matsui has also championed transparency and responsible guardrails to protect consumers from harmful algorithms and artificial intelligence systems.

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