Unequal access to technology and the wealth it generates means many Americans are left behind in the digital economy.
- Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna from California’s Silicon Valley, author of “Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us,” said the United States should decentralize digital jobs, now concentrated in certain areas, to improve economic opportunity across the country.
- He said he hopes the increase in telework during the Covid-19 pandemic will lead to a revival of opportunities in remote areas.
- Khanna said the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s focus on broadband access is a start that “will make a huge dent” but does not fully address the jobs issue.
- He said the Internet Bill of Rights he created focuses on the idea that people should own the right to their data and said the government should further regulate big tech companies to prevent harm.
- On the topic of Ukraine, Khanna said President Biden “is doing everything possible short of getting into a shooting war with Russia.”
- He said he thinks Congress will be committed to helping Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and that there is bipartisan consensus that the U.S. should continue its support.