Amazon Supports Biden's Plan To Give All Americans Broadband Internet Access

Last week, the Biden administration outlined a massive infrastructure plan that includes $100 billion toward giving all Americans access to broadband internet. Some companies have protested this decision, but Amazon evidently isn't one of them.

"We support the Biden Administration's focus on making bold investments in American infrastructure. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported infrastructure in the past, and it's the right time to work together to make this happen," CEO Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, said in a statement. "We recognize the investment will require concessions from all sides--both on the specifics of what's included as well as how it's paid for (we're supportive of a rise in the corporate tax rate)."

It makes sense that Amazon would be in favor of this plan, as its streaming services--both Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Luna--would benefit from all Americans having access, particularly if data caps were eliminated.

Big internet service providers like AT&T don't see this plan as being in their interest, as it said most Americans don't require fiber-level speeds. Amazon does actually have some sort of plan to become an ISP, though it's unclear whether this factored into its support or not. It's also worth pointing out that while Amazon favors an increase on the corporate tax rate, it has often had to pay nothing in federal income taxes. The proposed raise from Biden would bump the rate to 28% from the 21% it was lowered to under Donald Trump. Previously, it was as high as 35%.

It's true that most content, including video streaming and general web surfing, will run perfectly fine at lower speeds. However, game downloads are only getting bigger high-quality video streaming requires faster speeds, and those living in areas without fast internet will be left in the cold as we head toward an increasingly digital industry.